Giving israel 6 pojnts and handicaping our seeding going forwards wont bother the israeli Government whatsoevwr.Arent we already boycotting the Eurovision song contest and it hasnt brought the regime to its knees.Make the same point by playing behind closed doora in dublin and decorate the stands with whatevwr pro palistinian messages will keep people happy.Id ratber have the points and protest then no points and protest
For football reasons, obviously. That you can't see that adds to my view that you've lost sight of what all this actually relates to - a football match.Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Rome wasn't built in a day, and assuming that the first protest brings down the regime is thinking on a very basic level. The goal of not playing the match isn't to bring down the Israeli government, its to begin a process of isolating them from the international community and eventually through long term pressure and social isolation forcing change.
You might prefer to play the game and not care, others do care and feel playing the game normalises the Israeli actions of the past few years. But being flippant about it and saying "sure we left the eurovision and nothing changed" is either willful ignorance or completely missing the point.
When you trade with a country, buy its currency, play international sports with them, invite them to other cultural events, that all normalises relations and gives regimes legitimacy. Doing the opposite doesn't collapse a regime instantly, but over time and with enough pressure it can help change things.
The question is, do irish fans want to do this. And from what I can tell, some absolutely do, and some can't understand why anyone would. "I'd rather have 6 points", to me is crazy, to you saying "i'd rather not play" is crazy
The only country that wins from us not fulfilling the fixture is Israel. The only country that loses is us. Nobody else gives a **** whether we play them or not. People really need to get a grip here.
Half the world has been against Israel since its formation and it hasn't made a damned bit difference - in fact they've only got ever stronger.
Nor will any of the sort of pressure you suggest make any difference so long as it continues to receive the support of the USA, which it will, even under a Democratic administration.
Here's what will change it, namely the Israeli political system aka democracy. Netanya knows that the minute he's out of office, he will face very serious criminal charges - fraud, bribery, corruption etc. Meaning that when he and his Likud party were unable to form a majority government after the last election, he was forced to include some very nasty Far Right figures in his (5 party) coalition - he was that desperate.
And the key reason why their assault on Palestine has been so particularly outrageous is because that Far Right "tail" has been wagging the coalition "dog". While the continuation of the conflict has muted domestic opposition to Netanyahu - another reason why he is determined to keep it going, even after any (so-called) ceasefire.
Anyhow the next General Election, due October this year, could very well see him and his coalition voted out. At which point we could see the (hoped for) long road back from barbarity and towards some sort of peaceful normality, with the added bonus of Netanyahu ending up behind bars, where he should have been years ago.
Meanwhile, whatever the FAI does or not do over these two football matches will make no more difference to Netanyahu & Co than if they (FAI) were all to drop their pants in unison and fart in the direction of Israel.
You won't understand this, but its not about winning and losing, its about doing the right thing
You're not wrong, I don't disagree with anything you said. But that doesn't mean you have to go along with it.
There doesn't have to be a like for like action and result to take a stand. Its no difference than any other protest to any other situation. Its not about "we won't play this match and therefore X will be the result". Its we don't play the match and conversations are forced.
I know to some people it seems crazy, but to me its crazy to vindicate a regime like this for the sake of the nations league.
And to some that will make perfect sense, and to others it will seem absolutely ridiculous.
I can't push my morals or beliefs on anyone no more than they can do that to me. I'm just telling you what the conversations are and what some people are feeling.
Some might see it as "virtue signaling" or "keyboard warrior stuff". Its really just being uninterested in pretending any of this is normal
Play the game and give people the oppurtunity to protest. Thats what the dublin football team did recently when there was talk of a ban over the Alianz conection. Give people who want to see the match the chance and those that want to protest their chance.
You won't understand this, but the right thing to do (in all senses) is to play the match, and play it in Dublin. If people want to peacefully protest in the stadium or outside, that's absolutely fine. But not playing the match is letting Israel win and also in the process allowing our national football team be used as a political vehicle, which is not and has never been what the team is about.
Even though I obviously am on the same side in terms of the Israel/Palestine argument, I fundamentally disagree with the concept of allowing the national football team to be politicised in this way. The noises are positive this evening regarding the game going ahead in Dublin. I hope common sense will prevail here.
No i fully grasp what you are saying, I just think its very "i'm alright Jack". I'm not looking to get into political ideologies, but I don't understand how anyone can be so flippant about letting a regime that has band journalists, while bombing schools and hospitals and be like "welcome to the uefa club, we're gonna kick your ass on the pitch and raise banners in protest" and be happy to watch the game. It'd feel like watching the 1936 games to me, but i'm also probably idealistic.Sports is politics, you just enjoy sports so can mentally make the separation. But choosing to play with a regime is just legitimising it, you might not want to accept that. But it is. If the game goes ahead, its no more appropriate than "i was just following orders", "everyone else was doing it", or "no one said it wasn't okay at the time"
Should we boycott China? Argentima when it was a dictatorship, north korea? .The trouble with politcising sport is where do you stop.Our thaioseach is just back from visiting a pretty dastardly dictatorship in China trying to drum up business, is it only sport that has to boycott?Although on second thoughts im not going to bother arguing about thos as after we win in the czech republic and beat denmark to qualify and then win the world cup our seading in the nations league wont matter, so ill postpone my debate until then
Last edited by sbgawa; 16/02/2026 at 1:53 AM.
That's "whataboutism" and a fallacy of debate. What about the homeless, what about sick irish kids. Its pretty easy to drag debates into areas that have nothing to do with anything. We aren't playing China anytime soon, and when we do that debate can start.Its clear we are never going to agree, as you finish your point off talking about seeding. Which means we aren't even in the same realm of thought process, and there really isn't any middle ground for us to discuss from.The core of the issue is this, i'm okay with sacrificing a couple of games and some points to not engage with an exercise that legitimises a regime i think should be socially excluded. For others that makes absolutely no sense and is taking away something they don't want to give up.Whatever my perspective is, I can accept ultimately, knowing how the world is currently, this game is likely to go ahead. I'm just voicing why people like me have major issues with that and am explaining how we feel about it and what an "idealist" is thinking.I'd be hard pushed to be convinced there's any merit in playing the game, and saying things like "it doesn't achieve anything", "you hardly think its going to bring down the israeli government" "its giving the Israeli team 6 points" is like trying to convert me to mormonism, none of those arguments have any resonance to me. Saying "the only team to win from not playing is Israel" is completely false to me. Because playing the game is ultimately how Israel win in my head, legitimising them
You make a lot of sense in this post and are far more well informed than many on the issue.
However, I wouldn’t be against a boycott or at least a protest by fans. Whether it makes no difference or not, it’s showing the world and UEFA that we oppose them.
Personally, I’m on the fence about the games. I generally don’t like politics mixing with sport but this seems bigger than that.
I’m sure many people did nothing during apartheid and told others not to bother but it did eventually change. Tiny drops into a bucket will eventually overflow.
If Palestine had a charismatic leader like Mandela and got rid of Hamas fundamentalist lunatics, that would also be a pretty big help to the cause too.
Folding my way into the big money!!!
Would a poll to gauge the overall opinion of the forum be worthwhile? Maybe Tets can add one to the thread if considered appropriate. I would suggest a simple two option poll - play the game (likely with protests against Israel inside and outside the stadium) vs refuse to play the game.
Let's say three options
Attend the game
Attend the game, with protest
Full boycott
Any other suggestions?
If they were actively pursuing the annihilation of an entire people they could have done so by now
Not to defend Netanyu in the least, but in 1948 the population of Palestine was estimated to be just over 1.2m. By 2025 it had reached 5.6m.
And I make this point not because it has any relevance to the present football debate, but because that debate should not be framed by people like 'Dermobohs' whose views may be being framed in ignorance of some basic facts of the conflict.
Back to the football, whatever the FAI do will make no difference whatever to the plight of the Palestinian people, or the policies of the Netanyahu government. Therefore assuming that the two games will go ahead regardless, ROI fans must do whatever pleases them most:
A. Make a stand on principle and have nothing to do with this game, even knowing it will make zero practical difference in Palestine/Israel;
or
B. Attend the Dublin game but protest, even knowing it will make zero practical difference in Palestine/Israel;
or
C. Attend the game and just watch/support the team as normal, even knowing it will make zero practical difference in Palestine/Israel.
Bit of ignorance on your part or possibly willful misunderstanding of statistics. The population growth you sighted was roughly 4.7X across 80 years. While the global population increased by 3.2X in that time. Not saying being above the average is in anyway wrong, but Palestine was not one of the drivers of population growth in the world in that time.So how would Gaza be able to increase its population beyond global norms during this period? Because the Israeli's moved all the people out of other lands and forced them into small pockets in the West Bank and Gaza. So yes, Gaza's population has increased during the 80 years, but through displacing people from other lands and into Gaza.But also, that's besides the point, and the match is what we should be discussing
Actually there are two other factors which are much more influential in explaining the population growth in Palestine:
"Palestine maintains a significantly higher birth rate than the world average, with a total fertility rate of approximately 3.31 births per woman in 2023, compared to a global average of 2.41. While declining from historically higher levels, Palestinian fertility remains notably higher than the global average, with the Gaza Strip generally showing higher rates than the West Bank."
And with this higher birth rate, Palestine has been unable to ease population pressures via emigration, since so few other countries will actually accept them, including (ironically) their nearest Arab neighbours, most of whom have shown very little sympathy, practical or otherwise, for Palestine. In fact many are actively hostile, what with Palestine/Hamas seen as being in the Iran/Hezbollah camp.
P.S. How in practice could "Israel [have] moved all the people out of other lands and forced them into small pockets in the West Bank and Gaza", and precisely which "other lands"? Israel can have no ability to move displaced Palestinians (or other Arabs) from eg Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt etc, for obvious reasons, nor would they want to, preferring instead to keep the Palestinian nation fragmented and dispersed. And as for Arabs in Israel itself, the Arab population in Israel itself grew from an estimated 156k in 1948, to 2.1m by 2024, so they can't have sent too many from their own country.
Last edited by EalingGreen; 16/02/2026 at 3:17 PM.
They're the three options as fans I guess - is there an additional option for visas to be denied (a la Yugoslavia 1999) or for it to be played on neutral ground (the Examiner article)? They're nuclear options, but it's only a vote sure.
Some things are more important than football though. I don't think it's healthy to not see that.
I don't see how a protest or a boycott is letting Israel win - you haven't really explained that. And the national team has absolutely been used as a political tool before - I keep referencing the Yugoslavia '99 game as a clear example. And let's not forget the Yugoslavia game in 1955, plus the 1981 rugby union tour of South Africa, which was heavily criticised by the Government of the day. There may well be other examples.
The idea that sport and politics don't mix is a lazy get-out for people who just don't want to get involved in politics. But that's not really good enough in my view.
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