25 May 2026; Cian Byrne of Bohemians during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers at Dalymount Park in Dublin. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
FAI Board and Executive should not allow Israel to play on the Aviva Stadium pitch they graced last week
Cathal Dervan, Editor
Ireland captain Nathan Collins was always going to be put up in front of the media this week ahead of the game against Qatar on Thursday night - and two games in the autumn were always going to dominate the questions and the headlines.
The inevitable press conference took place in Abbotstown on Tuesday and the just as inevitable questions around Israel soon followed. Those questions will be as painful by the end of the week as the ankle injury picked up by one FAI staffer in a kickabout at the Aviva Stadium late last week.
The senior executive, injured in the annual match on the staff day out at the National Stadium, will recover and his wounds will heal but the wounds caused by the insistence that the game against Israel goes ahead in Ballsbridge next October show little or no sign of closing, never mind healing.
Whilst you might feel some sympathy for the man who fell to ground clutching his ankle last Friday, it is hard to feel any sympathy for those Board members and any FAI suits who still think hosting Israel in Dublin is a good idea.
The ‘Stop The Game’ movement told them as much via some very high profile signatures earlier this month. The majority of the public have sold the same line to Liveline, Newstalk and any other broadcaster worth their salt in recent weeks.
The FAI heads should again have understood the level of opposition when politicians from various parties boycotted the annual match featuring an Oireachtas team against the FAI stalwarts last week as a protest against said fixtures.
They ought to have realised how much political anger is out there when Dublin Central by-election winner Daniel Ennis breezed into Leinster House for the first time on Tuesday and promptly declared that the Israel fixture should not be played.
This story ain’t going away. The questions posed to Nathan Collins yesterday proved that much again. Those questions will continue for the rest of the week.
Hopefully, at least some questions were asked by the FAI Board to the FAI Board at their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday - their chance to debate amongst themselves the call from General Assembly members for an EGM to discuss the Israel issue and nothing else.
It shouldn’t take an EGM called by members for the FAI to do the right thing now. This is a member’s association after all, not Tesco, so that Board needs to listen to those members and it needs to take appropriate action. And soon.
Yes, we can acknowledge that they have to play the Nations League games against Israel as they have repeatedly said. UEFA won’t treat them kindly if they don’t. But they don’t have to play the home leg in Dublin.
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Do what the Scottish women are doing when both their World Cup qualifiers against Israel will be played on neutral territory in Hungary next month, behind closed doors.
That’s an out that saves face for everyone. The FAI big wigs could even look into it when they visit Budapest for Saturday’s Champions League final on the UEFA express.
They can still save face by doing the right thing. Play Israel for sure, just don’t do it here - and spare Nathan Collins and his fellow players the endless questions about a subject they are not equipped to talk about. Nor should they have to.
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He was nicknamed The Hanging Judge when he refereed in South Africa and only became interested in life as a match official after meeting John Carpenter whilst gigging in Finglas. Meet the extraordinary Meath referee Errol Sweeney in the first of a two-part Let's Talk Football special.
Ireland captain Nathan Collins says the international squad will listen to the views of any player who doesn’t want to play against Israel in the scheduled Nations League games next autumn and any decision to boycott the fixtures will be respected.
Collins was speaking after training ahead of Thursday night’s friendly against Qatar at the Aviva Stadium when more protests against the game are expected to be held.
“For players we just have to trust the FAI,” Collins told RTE Sport. “We have to trust the government that they know what they’re doing. We’re picked to play football. You know, we’re picked to represent our country. It’s a tough situation for us to be in and we have to trust the people around us, that they know what they are doing.
“What we’d speak about (as a group) is hard to say, because you need the whole group together. But if individuals wanted to take a stand, we are not going to stand against them, we are not going to hold them back. They are entitled to their own opinions. If they are very strong about that, we can’t stop them.”
Stephen Bradley labelled Monday night’s 2-1 win against Bohs as extra special as Enda Stevens scored a late, late winner in the final derby to be played at the famous venue before Dalymount Park is demolished.
Bradley also told the Irish Independent that he will speak to Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson to ask that goalkeeper Ed McGinty is released to play against St Patrick’s Athletic on Friday night.
“We’ve had some good results here, you go back to the semi-final of the FAI Cup some years back but this was special because I thought we were very good in the game,” said Bradley.
“It’s Dublin derbies. Any derby, you watch any game in the world and, regardless of the level, managers will say the same thing, it’s moments and momentum. That’s what derbies are about. It’s a small margin. Tonight they went for us.”
Departing Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner wants to give the Eagles the perfect parting present with victory in tonight’s Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
On the eve of the game, Glasner told the Irish Sun what a win and a trophy would mean before he signs off. He said: “It would mean a lot to me, to play with these players, with this group, where we have worked together for two years. And to give it back to our fans.
“It would mean a lot, especially for the players, for the group. I know how hard every single player, every single one of the staff, worked throughout the season.”
Bruno Fernandes has reportedly asked Ole Gunner Solksjaer for Roy Keane’s phone number as the row between the Manchester United legends intensifies.
Keane has been critical of the manner in which Fernandes set a new record for assists in the Premier League this season while the Portugal midfielder claims that the Irishman has misrepresented him.
The Irish Mirror also reports that Keane appeared to take another swipe when sharing an Instagram story featuring the pointed message ‘too much attention makes a donkey think he’s a lion’.
Former Ireland striker and Reading manager Noel Hunt is one of five new full-time lead coaches working with Irish underage teams across the age brackets from Under 15 to Under 19.
The Irish Examiner reports that Hunt, Chelsea Noonan, John Cotter, Keith O’Halloran, and James Scott will work alongside four full-time coaches - Graham Gartland, Conor McCormack, Mark Connors and Richie Smith.
All photos on TheSportsHacks are provided by Sportsfile.com
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