Charlie McConalogue: FAI fixtures, Gaza and sporting autonomy

Thank you, Gael, and listen, I want to, thanks to Sinn Féin for their motion this evening. I want to start off, however, by wishing well our Irish ladies football team, who, as it happens, this motion will be coinciding with, and who will be starting to play very shortly in Grenoble in France on what could be a really historic occasion, and should they win, indeed, would be the most historic occasion we've had in Irish women's football, and indeed Irish football over the course of our history. So I'm sure everyone in the chamber here will join with me in wishing them really, really well this evening, and indeed, good luck. And it's unfortunate that, obviously, something very different and grave in the nature of what we're discussing is what we're focusing on, but very much understandably so. And as I think we all recognize, the people across this country are very deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and the Gulf region, and particularly the situation here in Palestine, and the government is committed to working with key partners to end the conflict and to advancing a sustainable peace plan. Israeli actions in Palestine consistently contravene international law, and the government continues to press for appropriate action, both at EU and at international level, in response to egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles. The government calls on Israel to immediately remove restrictions on aid access and facilitate essential supplies and services to reach people across the Gaza Strip. There have been many calls for Irish sports organizations to boycott or exclude Israel from international sporting competitions in the context of the conflict in Gaza. These include, of course, the issue we're discussing tonight of the Football Association of Ireland being asked not to fulfill its UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel this autumn. It is important to note, however, that national governing bodies of sports, such as the FAI, are independent, autonomous bodies responsible for the governance of their sports, including the organization of sporting fixtures, whether in domestic or international competitions. The government and Sport Ireland have no role in determining or supporting the organization of such fixtures. At the end of the day, we here in this chamber don't decide who plays who in sport, whether at domestic or international level. The FAI has stated that it intends to fulfill both fixtures against Israel in accordance with its obligations as a member of UEFA, and government acknowledges the FAI's independence and autonomy in arriving at this decision and any decisions it may make in the coming days. The performance and integrity of our top athletes on the international stage has a very positive inter-representational impact for Ireland, as Irish sport provides a world with a window into our country and the Irish people, both at home and abroad. International success for our top sports people enriches our country in a variety of ways. Many of our fondest memories are centred on Ireland's achievements in the global sporting stage, and these achievements have been a cause of both celebration and inspiration for the Irish public and will continue to do so in the future. This is why the government is fully supportive of our athletes competing at the highest level of international competition. However, it is ultimately international sporting federations who are responsible for deciding how to carry out their competitions and who may participate. International federations, in this case UEFA, have a leadership role for their global games and it is at this level that strategic decisions should be taken rather than by individual countries' NGBs. The FAI has decided to play the fixtures against Israel in accordance with their obligations as members of UEFA. While there is speculation that the FAI may request that UEFA allow the game to be moved to a neutral venue abroad in the coming days, this is ultimately a decision for the FAI to make. While the decision to fulfil the fixtures or not is a matter for the FAI, it is important to note that not fulfilling the games could have serious sporting consequences for the Irish team, including losing points, relegation in Nations League standings, weaker seeding for the Euro 2028 qualification and harm to Ireland's FIFA ranking. At an operational level, I understand that the FAI is continuing to engage with N'Garda Síochána to ensure appropriate preparation for and policing of the home leg of the fixture. The FAI is also engaging with the Norwegian Football Federation Association, which hosted a match against Israel in November last year, to see if any learnings from its experience can be applied to preparations for the upcoming game in Ireland. Norway played the away leg of its World Cup qualifiers against Israel in Debrecen, Hungary. The FAI is also engaging with the Palestinian Football Association to gather its views on how to prepare for the match. In addition, the FAI has engaged with the Israeli Football Association, which has confirmed that it does not expect a significant number of Israeli fans to travel to Ireland for the fixture. In accordance with UEFA rules, home legs of fixtures cannot be played in another jurisdiction unless concerns are raised about the capacity for the fixture to be held securely and safely. In this instance, N'Garda Síochána has confirmed that it is prepared to police the home game. While there has been a wholesale exclusion of Russia from most international sporting events, this exclusion is built upon international consensus, driven by international sporting bodies and, within the EU, is linked to sanctions against Russia following its illegal invasion of Ukraine. No such international consensus exists in relation to Israel. The decision made by RTE in December 2025 to neither participate in nor broadcast the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, due to Israel's ongoing participation, has been referred to in debates in recent days. This was an independent decision taken by the state broadcaster, which is legally and editorially independent of government. Sport Ireland, which is funded by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, is a statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, including the allocation of funding across its various programmes. The Sport Ireland recognised national governing bodies play a key role in helping to deliver on the strategic priorities identified by the national sports policy. The funding delivered via Sport Ireland to NGPs is not tied to the operational or administrative models used by NGPs nationally or locally. All national governing bodies are independent, autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own governance and decision-making, including regarding the organisation of and participation in international sporting competitions. As Minister with responsibility for sport, I have no role in how NGPs organise their sports or in their day-to-day operational functions, nor does the Oireachtas or the Government. Further, it would not be appropriate to intervene in matters such as this. Deputy Speaker, you are on the speaking rota, you get an opportunity to make your comments on the speaking rota. Please let the Minister finish. Deputy Speaker, you will have ample time to make your contribution on the speaking rota. Please let the Minister finish what he is saying. The FAA is completely within its rights to fulfil its international fixtures and the Government acknowledges its right to do so. For these reasons, the Government proposes to amend the wording of this motion as submitted to the House this evening. I call him out. Thank you, Minister. We now move on to the next speaker, Scottie. You have two minutes to address the General Assembly. You have two minutes on the clock and you want to address the General Assembly. Did you forget to mention it? We are now moving on to the Sinn Féin of ten minutes. Thank you.