Irish Campaign Calls for Players to Boycott Return Match Against Israel

The message praised the stance of goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who apologized for participating in the home and away matches against Israel, describing his decision as "an act of tremendous personal courage" and that he took a humanitarian position despite the potential professional risks.

It added: "We know he is not the only one, and that there are others among you who do not want to play this match, and they are only doing so because of pressure and misinformation from the Irish Football Association. We understand that, and we do not blame you for it, but we ask you to reconsider the matter"

The campaign urged the players to stand with their colleagues and the Irish people, considering that participating in the match contradicts the positions of the majority of citizens, based on opinion polls that it said showed more than 70 percent of Irish people opposed to holding the two matches.

The message touched on Ireland's position on the Israeli genocide war on the Gaza Strip.

It pointed out that the Irish government supports the international legal path, and that Dublin is participating with South Africa in the case filed with the International Court of Justice regarding allegations of genocide.

It also cited positions from international experts and institutions, including the Independent International Commission of Inquiry of the United Nations, which concluded in a report published in 2025 that Israel committed the crime of genocide in Gaza, according to the message.

The campaign confirmed that the protests would coincide with Ireland's match against Austria, scheduled for Thursday at the Aviva Stadium.

It pointed out that refusing to face Israel does not necessarily entail the sanctions mentioned by the Irish Football Association.

The newspaper quoted the message as saying that Paul Cook, the president of the Irish Football Association, denied that his association had been threatened by the European Football Association "UEFA" with sanctions if the team refused to play the match.

It added that "the full justification provided by the Irish Football Association for putting you in this position, which is fear, financial warnings, and talk of exclusion, is undermined by its president's one-word answer: no"

In contrast, Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin warned against targeting the national team players with protests.

He considered that Ireland's withdrawal from the match against Israel would not contribute to stopping the conflict in Gaza.

Martin said before Parliament that some of the campaigns targeting the players were "horrible and unnecessary," calling for protests not to be directed at them.

Last Sunday, the Irish national team defeated its Israeli counterpart with a score of 3-0 in the Hungarian city of Debrecen, in a match preceded by controversy within the Irish football circles regarding participation in it.

The participation of the Irish national team remained a topic of discussion until the last moments, after the players discussed the matter on Friday and Saturday, before goalkeeper Bazunu withdrew on the grounds of conscientious objection, which was followed by additional meetings between the players and a vote on the position regarding the match.

The "Stop the Game" campaign is a sports and popular protest initiative launched by a pressure group known as "Irish Sport for Palestine," calling for the boycott of sports activities and matches related to Israel, in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and pressuring sports bodies to take positions on the war in Gaza.