Nations League draw

A very decent group. Kosovo on the up but they're still a preferable draw at this level compared to someone like Sweden. Austria very strong these days, but maybe no harm that they're there as, looking towards World Cup 2030, this is probably a group that it would suit us better to come second in than to win.

The way to deal with Israel is to play them twice and beat them twice. Make their visit to Dublin as difficult as possible on and off the pitch. But there's nothing to gain from boycotting the fixture and it's good to see the FAI coming out quickly with a (clearly pre-prepared) statement to knock that notion on the head before it generates any momentum. A rare smart move from the suits in Abbotstown.

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Originally Posted by Mr_Parker

Behind closed doors game then?

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Even if not, there's the whole question of whether it's better for fans to attend and protest, or whether an empty stadium would send a more impactful message.

Would a fans boycott even be noticed outside of Ireland? I think Irish football supporters overestimate how much impact something like that would have internationally. Loads of nations league games around Europe are played in half empty stadiums. Our own stadium was half empty by the final games of the Stephen Kenny era.

I'd say pack the place and make their lives hell for a few hours.

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Originally Posted by culloty82

Even if not, there's the whole question of whether it's better for fans to attend and protest, or whether an empty stadium would send a more impactful message.

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I don't know that this can go ahead. It would be an absolute circus.

If it ends up going ahead I intend to show up for the anthems and then leave prior to kick off.

Morally we shouldn't play this. But like everything else, money will get involved and it will go ahead.

More than likely be chaos too, but sure look, I'll steer clear and hope no one gets hurt

Of course it will go ahead. There won't be huge issues around the stadium either, that's just not our make-up as a group of supporters. Always a chance of a few isolated incidents further away from the stadium, likely not involving genuine Ireland supporters, but it will be heavily policed near the ground I'm sure.

There will be protests around and inside the ground and the association will be fined for them. Hopefully we can create a hostile atmosphere for them inside the stadium but I'm not sure the new stadium particularly lends itself to that.

I think it's a good draw, it could have been much worse. An aside is to take into consideration that Kosovo much appreciated Bertie's decision to ban the Yugoslavs way back then, we are akin to being regarded as brothers in arms. Israel can be played and beaten twice. it's hard to guess how the home game situ may pan out from a political protest point of view, but in Budapest the Irish fans will dominate the proceedings. Iceland were drawn against israel in the euro 2024 playoffs, the game was played in March 2024, some 6 or 7 months into the invasion of Gaza. The pre game shenanigans did get ugly. Not much reported were the persistent attempts by a cabal of leading pro Zionists politicians and celebrities to get Iceland to agree to have the game played in Israel. The Iceland FA spokesperson said his ears were ridden raw from dealing with phonecalls every 5 minutes, day in day out from all sorts. The team manager at the time the much loved and respected Aage Hariede (rip) had made replies to journalists that Israel should not even be allowed to play because of the ugly inhuman war they waged in Gaza but that the game meant so much for Iceland that it would go ahead. The pre match press conferences were riddled with zionist reporters trying vainly to rile up Aage. At the game in Hungary the Iceland supporters made their point by sitting down in unison in protest while the Israel anthem was played. That was it, on the pitch Israel were humped , royally humped while UEFA breathed a sigh of relief. The best thing Ireland can do for Gaza is to hump the Israeli team.

Fixtures are out. Kosovo away first up on 24th Sept, and then on to Israel (or wherever they're playing - and while the FAI submitted a motion to have them suspended by UEFA in November, Israel are trying to get back to playing games at home for this) on 27th Sept.

Then two home games - Austria on 1st Oct and Israel on 4th Oct - finish off the first window.

And we're away to Austria on 14th Nov and finally home to Kosovo on 17th Nov. All games 7:45.

Kosovo away is a really big starting game. Don't get a win there - and Kosovo are no mugs - and we're straight off fighting relegation again.

You'd swear Ireland was at war with Israel the way some online muppets are going on about this. Some people more interested in virtue signalling than they are in the actual genocide that has taken place unfortunately.

One for the stattos out there - after we play Kosovo, the FAI merely need to arrange a friendly against Slovenia to complete the current* UEFA full house.*Belarus are the only European side we've played in a friendly, but not competively, and East Germany were the only former country that we never met.

Could you argue that we've never played North Macedonia? We've played the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

That's pretty much a technicality though, not like playing the whole gamut of Yugoslavia (pre 1992), Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro up until 2003), Serbia & Montenegro (which only existed for three years) along with both Serbia and Montenegro, which we've actually managed! Then there was the very brief RCS team which existed while Czechia and Slovakia were breaking up, but that's very much going into the weeds of international football!

Yeah, North Macedonia is just the same country with a naming dispute resolved.

Lovely place, but they're among the biggest wind-up merchants in Europe for claiming history that isn't theirs

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

You'd swear Ireland was at war with Israel the way some online muppets are going on about this. Some people more interested in virtue signalling than they are in the actual genocide that has taken place unfortunately.

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Not really sure what you base that on tbh?

Here fishy fishy fishy

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

You'd swear Ireland was at war with Israel the way some online muppets are going on about this. Some people more interested in virtue signalling than they are in the actual genocide that has taken place unfortunately.

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What do you mean by that? Do you not think people have a right to protest this or feel uncomfortable with it. There's only so many ways the average person can actually make their feelings heard, and voicing displeasure over playing a football match against a state, that at best is committing severe war crimes is probably not a bad thing.

I can understand the "but its only sport", "what would booing the anthem even do", "lets separate sport and politics" brigade views. But I don't agree with them, and sometimes taking a stance and saying "this country isn't behaving normal and us playing this match without incident is normalising something that should never be accepted"

I'm not sure what you are seeing suggested, but within reason, protesting this game is very much warranted

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Originally Posted by Plib

I'm not sure what you are seeing suggested, but within reason, protesting this game is very much warranted

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Dudu Aouate's head on spike. Him and Bibi Netanyahu

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Originally Posted by elatedscum

Dudu Aouate's head on spike. Him and Bibi Netanyahu

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People see similarities with this situation and the South African rugby tour of the early 80s.

It’s more than politics to most people. It’s about human rights.

Israel’s participation sticks in the craw of many and, compared to Russia’s expulsion, just shows that there are different rules for Israel. UEFA hypocrisy.

If they were to be expelled we all know what excuse they would use.

And it wouldn’t be anything to do with bombing kids.

I generally don’t like to see sports mixed with politics but this is bigger than that I feel.

An Taoiseach won’t make any brave decisions anyway, that’s for sure. They denied visas to Yugoslavia in 1999 but that was supported in Europe. He won’t do anything that might make him look like a bad European here.

I think it’s the perfect opportunity for a coordinated fan protest at the game! Stick it to the murdering bast@rds.

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Originally Posted by Plib

What do you mean by that? Do you not think people have a right to protest this or feel uncomfortable with it. There's only so many ways the average person can actually make their feelings heard, and voicing displeasure over playing a football match against a state, that at best is committing severe war crimes is probably not a bad thing.

I can understand the "but its only sport", "what would booing the anthem even do", "lets separate sport and politics" brigade views. But I don't agree with them, and sometimes taking a stance and saying "this country isn't behaving normal and us playing this match without incident is normalising something that should never be accepted"

I'm not sure what you are seeing suggested, but within reason, protesting this game is very much warranted

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No issue at all with some kind of protest in the stadium, in fact I agree there should be one. But let's face it, it's not going to make a single iota of difference. Nor would Ireland not fulfilling the fixture make any difference, or the supporters boycotting the game.

I'm seeing far too many Ireland supporters online who seem to genuinely think that what they do here actually matters. Maybe they should give some consideration as to whether their time could be better spent doing something that might actually make a difference to people suffering in Gaza rather than something that is likely to achieve nothing other than make them feel better about themselves.

If anyone actually wants to make a tangible difference to people's lives they'd be better served throwing a few quid at the link below.

https://www.map.org.uk/how-to-help/donate/