The Football Association of Ireland’s (FAI) General Assembly has endorsed a motion for Republic of Ireland to go ahead with their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel.
The motion was passed at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) at the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday, with 75 votes to 32 against by 114 members in attendance with three abstentions.
The motion brought forward by FAI stated: “While acknowledging the strength of feeling regarding support for Palestine and the upcoming Uefa Men’s Nations League fixtures, that the members recognise the profound impact that any non-fulfilment of Uefa fixtures would have on Irish football as a whole and on its future development, and accordingly endorses the Association fulfilling its obligations in respect of those fixtures.”
The EGM was triggered when more than 10% of the FAI’s members opposed playing the Nations League games, but the outcome of the meeting is non-binding on the FAI executive.
In a statement on Wednesday, the FAI said the passing of the motion “provides the FAI board with the support to continue making decisions in the interest of Irish football”.
“The association understands and respects the views expressed by its members, as well as players and staff, supporters, campaigners, members of the public and the Irish footballing community in relation to the 2026-27 Uefa Nations League fixtures between Ireland and Israel,” the statement continued.
“The association will continue to liaise with various stakeholders and support the Ireland squad for its upcoming Uefa Nations League campaign.”
The FAI previously said that boycotting autumn’s games against Israel would cause “significant and lasting harm” to Irish football as well as leading to a potential loss of 10.3m euros (£9m).
Following the Nations League draw in February, the FAI confirmed it would fulfil the fixtures, with chief executive David Courell saying the governing body had “no choice” and could face “serious consequences” if it pulled out of the games.
There has been rising pressure in the Republic of Ireland to boycott the games.
There were protesters outside the Aviva on Wednesday as the EGM was taking place, while protests also took place outside the Dail (Irish parliament) earlier this year.
May’s friendly with Qatar was twice disrupted when tennis balls featuring the Palestine flag were thrown onto the pitch.
A ‘Stop the Game’ campaign has also been launched by the group Irish Sport for Palestine.
Both games against Israel later this year are scheduled to be played at neutral venues.
Debrecen in Hungary is to host Israel’s home game on 27 October while Republic of Ireland’s home match is to be played behind closed doors in Backa Topola, Serbia on 4 October after Uefa approved a request from the FAI due to “operational issues” in staging the game in Dublin.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
At least 73,035 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, including more than 21,280 children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen as reliable by the UN.