A former Palestine football team captain has called on the Ireland players, the Green Army and the Irish media to boycott the scheduled Nations League games against Israel in the autumn.
Imad Zatara played in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers with Palestine and won 28 caps for his country between 2004 and 2015.
With the FAI adamant that the games against Israel will go ahead, away in September and at the Aviva Stadium in early October, Zatara made the plea to scrap the game in an interview with Irish journalist Philip O’Connor.
Swedish based O’Connor has published his full interview online at www.philipoconnor.com and it is quoted extensively on the Irish Mirror website as Zatara highlights his desire for the Israel games to be nullified despite the FAI’s insistence it goes ahead.
Zatara told O’Connor: “I would like the (Irish) people to show their opinion as much as possible, and to be clear that what is happening in Palestine is not okay. It must be stopped.
“I know that sport should not be compared to war and so on, but I’m afraid sport today is more than just sport – it’s love, it’s friendship, you can reach so many more people through football.
“We have to put a stop to this together, and I think and I hope that this match can be stopped.”
With the Palestinian crisis ongoing, Zatara made a plea to the Ireland players ahead of the autumn fixtures and said: “The only thing I can say to them is not to play this game - and not just them. The TV viewers, the broadcasters, everything should be boycotted, because this has to stop.
“No-one can do everything, but if everyone does something in their power - you have the power to not play the game, we have the power to not watch it, the TV channels have the power to not show it.
“If, one after another, we all do our jobs, we can be stronger together. To just not play that game - that alone would be huge.”
Cork City have promoted Liam Kearney to the role of Director of Football as the club shake up their coaching department ahead of the new government funding for LOI academies.
Former City player Kearney has served as Academy Director for the past five and a half years with the Irish Examiner’s John Fallon reporting that the club will look to backfill his Academy Director vacancy with a new recruit.
“I am delighted to accept this role and firmly believe that there is much I can do as Director of Football to grow the club across all of its teams,” said Kearney.
“I have a long association with this club and care passionately about it. My experience with the Academy tells me that this club’s best years are ahead of it, and I look forward to working with the various coaching teams to build on what has been achieved to date.
“I cannot wait to get going, starting with the recruitment process for a new women’s senior manager.”
Liverpool fans will get their chance to say goodbye to Mo Salah in a manner befitting his glittering Anfield career with the club reporting positive news on his hamstring injury.
Salah was forced off in the second-half of Saturday’s win against Crystal Palace with reports afterwards suggesting he could have played his last game for Liverpool before his departure this summer.
The BBC reports that Liverpool have revealed that the injury is unlikely to keep him out for the rest of the season meaning he should be fit to play for the Reds again and to lead Egypt at the World Cup finals.
A statement from the club said that the problem is a ‘minor muscle injury’ and that it is ‘anticipated’ that the forward will recover in time to feature again before leaving the club with their final game of the season at home to Brentford on May 24th.
Iran’s World Cup future will be discussed without them at the FIFA Congress in Canada after visa issues at Toronto Airport forced their three man delegation to return home.
RTE reports that the Iranian Federation’s President Mehdi Taj, secretary general Hedayat Mombeini and his deputy Hamed Momeni had arrived with visas to participate in Thursday’s congress.
They caught the next plane home however after visa issues emerged which they blamed on Canadian immigration officials.
Iranian news agency Tasnim has claimed that FIFA President Gianni Infantino has promised to arrange a meeting with the Iranian Federation at FIFA headquarters in Switzerland.
FIFA remains adamant that Iran will play in the World Cup this summer when they are scheduled to play New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt.
Cardiff City manager Brian Barry Murphy is bringing it all home as he prepares for life in the Championship next season with a summer training camp in Cork.
The Irish Examiner reports that the Bluebird will be based on Leeside in mid-July for the camp which will include two friendly games against local opposition, most likely Cork City and Cobh Ramblers.
Son of Cork GAA legend Jimmy Barry Murphy, Brian will include Irishmen Callum Robinson and Joel Bagan in his travelling squad.
