FAI to be grilled by Oireachtas over Israel match amid player dissent

The Football Association of Ireland is scheduled to appear before the Oireachtas sports committee on Wednesday, where chief executive David Courell and senior staff will be questioned about the handling of last week’s UEFA Nations League match against Israel. The game went ahead after a player vote, despite widespread criticism tied to Israel’s war in Gaza, and saw goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu depart the squad before Ireland’s 3-0 victory.

Opposition TDs such as People Before Profit’s Ruth Coppinger have demanded that Courell and the board step down, while Social Democrat Daniel Ennis, a former League of Ireland player, urged the association to support the eight players who have said they do not want to share a pitch with what he described as a “genocidal regime.” Ennis also referenced racist chants from the previous fixture as justification for refusing the next match in Serbia. The committee hearing is intended to address issues of accountability and transparency, with another Ireland-Israel clash slated for Serbia and a separate Ireland-Austria game at the Aviva Stadium looming.