More than 160 Irish sportspeople urge Republic of Ireland to boycott Nations League fixtures with Israel

More than 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter from the Irish Sport for Palestine Group urging the Republic of Ireland senior men's team to boycott their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Israel, scheduled for 27 September in Hungary and 4 October in Serbia.

The letter argues that the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), Uefa and the Irish government should have acted earlier but that there remains an opportunity to "show the power of sport to unite." It adds: "This is a significant moment and with this moment you have an opportunity to do the right thing," and continues: "Putting on the Irish jersey and representing your country means something. But the Ireland we want represented is the one that remembers its roots in anti-colonial and anti-imperial resistance, which Irish sport played a large part of. "This moment symbolises something deeper, it is bigger than sport. But in a way this IS sport. "Not playing the game would be the most sporting thing you could do. Through your leadership and courage, it would show the power of sport to unite, remind us of the shared values that connect us all, and have an impact far beyond the game."

Signatories include Olympian Ciara Mageean and former Republic of Ireland international Louise Quinn, while former Ireland rugby fly-half Tony Ward—who previously boycotted an Irish rugby tour of South Africa—also put his name to the letter. Boxers Tyrone McKenna and Eric Donovan are among the signatories named by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group.

Several prominent Gaelic Athletic Association figures have signed, including Padraig O'Hora, Joe Brolly, Colm O'Rourke, Michael Darragh MacAuley, Philly McMahon, Valerie Mulcahy and Rena Buckley. The list also features para-athlete Alan Dineen and ultimate frisbee player Stephen Jones, both of whom boycotted fixtures against Israel earlier this year.

In July the FAI's General Assembly voted to proceed with the fixtures, endorsing a motion to go ahead with 75 votes in favour, 32 against and three abstentions from the 114 delegates present. The FAI has warned that a boycott would cause "significant and lasting harm" to Irish football and could lead to a potential loss of 10.3m euros (£9m).

The FAI has said Uefa rejected a request to keep the Republic of Ireland and Israel separate, and the scheduled match-ups have prompted strong public reaction. Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said he spoke to players individually about the prospect of facing Israel and that "none of us feel comfortable playing in these games." The fixture has caused much controversy.

These Nations League games will be the Republic of Ireland's first competitive matches since their World Cup play-off semi-final loss to the Czech Republic in March. Since the penalty shootout loss in Prague, the Ireland squad have played four friendlies, recording wins over Grenada and Qatar and draws with North Macedonia and Canada.

The immediate next steps are the two Nations League fixtures against Israel on 27 September in Hungary and 4 October in Serbia; further detail and explanation of the double-header has been provided by Nicola McCarthy.