No team should be forced to play Israel

The UEFA Nations League starts in September, and Ireland have been drawn against a team that should not be participating in international sport.

UEFA’s failure to do their job and enforce their own rules means that the FAI have been placed in an impossible position. Boycotting the game may have repercussions for Euro 2028.

I see there is talk about the game being played behind closed doors in Hungary — better than Israeli hooligans running amok in Dublin — but the whole thing is so unfair. Ireland, like Norway and Italy last year, and like Aston Villa in the Europa League, have been put in an unenviable position.

When will the authorities do the right thing? Stop letting this state get off scot-free.

Not playing the game would have ramifications: loss of points and revenue, maybe relegation, but it would send a strong signal to the world, and other countries would hopefully follow.

Beer

Daily writing prompt

What is your favorite drink?

View all responses

There is no doubt about this one. A cold beer at the end of the working week is always great.

Are you patriotic?

Great question. I am a proud Irishman and I like the GAA and traditional music, but I wouldn’t say I am that patriotic. I don’t know my native language, to my shame.

To be patriotic is to support your country, its sports teams, and try to represent it in the best way you can when abroad. It is not about jingoism, far-right politics or anything like that. That is the antithesis of patriotism.

If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why?

I wouldn’t change any one law but I would want international law to be applied to every country.

Some countries, most notably the United States and Israel have shown contempt for international law for decades. Israel is currently committing a genocide in Gaza and has bombed other countries in the last year, backed to the hilt by the United States. The US for its part, have abducted the President of a foreign country (Maduro is not a good guy but that is not the point) and have bombed countries at the behest of Israel

International law should apply to all without exception.