Paul Murphy: Government Hiding Behind FAI Over Israel Match
Paul Murphy challenges the government's response to the Stop the Game campaign, accusing ministers of avoiding a clear position and hiding behind the FAI. He urges the state to call for Israel's exclusion from international sport and to protect grassroots football from any backlash.
Paul Murphy sets out a single, clear demand: the government must publicly oppose playing the Israeli national team, call for its exclusion from international sport and commit to backing the Football Association of Ireland so grassroots clubs pay no price for taking a principled stand.
Murphy says current government statements amount to words and cowardice, citing the Minister for Sport's decision not to attend the match while leaving responsibility with the FAI. He rejects proposals to play matches behind closed doors and questions the opposition amendment that suggests that measure.
Murphy explains why mass calls for boycotts have grown: he cites the ongoing devastation in Gaza, claims of a death toll well over 100,000, and the deaths of more than 1,000 Palestinian athletes, including over 560 footballers, to argue sport cannot be separated from politics.
He names individual players he says exemplify the problem and stresses that many members of the Israeli national team are not innocent civilians. Murphy concludes that Ireland should lead in isolating Israel on the world stage, starting by stopping the game.
Immediate demand
Paul Murphy sets out a single, clear demand: the government must publicly oppose playing the Israeli national team, call for its exclusion from international sport and commit to backing the Football Association of Ireland so grassroots clubs pay no price for taking a principled stand.
Critique of official responses
Murphy says current government statements amount to words and cowardice, citing the Minister for Sport's decision not to attend the match while leaving responsibility with the FAI. He rejects proposals to play matches behind closed doors and questions the opposition amendment that suggests that measure.
Why supporters are mobilised
Murphy explains why mass calls for boycotts have grown: he cites the ongoing devastation in Gaza, claims of a death toll well over 100,000, and the deaths of more than 1,000 Palestinian athletes, including over 560 footballers, to argue sport cannot be separated from politics.
Examples and consequences
He names individual players he says exemplify the problem and stresses that many members of the Israeli national team are not innocent civilians. Murphy concludes that Ireland should lead in isolating Israel on the world stage, starting by stopping the game.
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Transcript
The government response to public opinion, to the Stop the Game campaign, to the massive pressure you're now under, is a continuation of your basic approach to the issue of Palestine. It's to have words, it's to hide, it's to engage in cowardice. In this case, to hide behind the FAI. So the Minister for Sport says he will personally not go to the game. But then you hide behind the FAI and you refuse to take a clear position. What is needed from the government is absolutely clear, it's what's being called for. You make a clear statement about your opposition to playing the genocidal team of Israel, to call for their exclusion from international sport, and then you need to say we're going to back up the FAI in that, we're going to ensure that grassroots football will not pay any price as a result of taking a principled position. It's very, very simple, it's very, very simple what the government needs to do. I have to say I find it astounding that there's an amendment from an opposition party tonight, Independent Ireland, calling for serious consideration to matches being played behind closed doors. Thinking that somehow if you close the doors and you play this genocidal team, somehow it makes it okay. Let's be clear, why is there a mass support and calls for boycotting these games? It's because Israel has been committing genocide for almost three years now, where it's likely the death toll in reality is well over 100,000 people, where the vast majority of buildings have been destroyed in Gaza, where this is all continuing today and where we know in terms of the impact of sport, over 1,000 Palestinian athletes, over 560 footballers killed. This idea that sport and politics have nothing to do with each other or whatever, look at what's happening in America right now, where a Somalian referee has been refused access to the World Cup, to referee the World Cup because of the racist policies of the US government, where the Iranian team are going to have to fly in and out to play games because of the murderous assault being rained down on them by the US and Israel. Football, sport is absolutely political and let's not act like the members of the Israeli national team are some innocent civilians. Many of them are former IDF terrorists. It's even more insidious than that because many of them qualify for an exception as athletes but chose to join the IDF in any case. I'll give you two examples. Number 10, Manor Salomon, who has stated that Palestinians were killing their own people and blaming Israel. His hatred for the people of Gaza is so well known that fans of his former club made up the chant, he looks good, he looks fine, he hates Palestine. Sean Weisman, the forward, has had a transfer to another club cancelled over his support to the genocide of Palestinians. He said that Israel should wipe Gaza off the map. Of course we should not be playing these people. Ireland should be leading the way in isolating Israel on the world stage. That starts with stopping the game.