20 June 2026; Athlone Town head coach Lily Agg speaks to her players after the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division match between Athlone Town and Shamrock Rovers at Athlone Town Stadium in Lissywollen, Athlone. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
FAI unavailable to meet Oireachtas committee but Israel questions will still come their way
Cathal Dervan, Editor
The FAI have turned down an official request from the Oireachtas Sports Committee to return to Kildare Street on July 15th to discuss one or two ongoing matters. They can’t attend due to holiday cover - but they have offered to turn up on certain dates in September.
Now, to be fair to them, when we discovered that they had been invited yesterday as Sinn Fein TD Joanna Byrne spoke to me on LMFM Radio live from Drogheda, we also found out that the original invitation from the Committee didn’t mention the Nations League games against Israel.
But, given the protests outside their Abbotstown HQ yesterday and the one planned for Saturday in Drogheda - never mind the strong statement from the Palestinian football authorities last week distancing themselves from any endorsement of the Israel game - you would have to think that the Israel matter would have come up in the Oireachtas in a fortnight.
So it’s probably good news for those who handle PR matters in the FAI now that the holiday season is more important than the international football season. After all, those TDs supporting the Stop The Game movement tend to take full advantage of their question time, as is their right.
The aforementioned Joanna Byrne is one of those TDs. She is also a lifelong football fan who is still as committed to Drogheda United as ever, despite her recent removal from the Board after she had put voice to her support for the Stop The Game movement.
That’s what made her revelation yesterday that the FAI had been invited back into the Oireachtas on ‘other matters’ so interesting. She acknowledged that but also told the Drogheda based radio station that, in her opinion, any potential debate around the Israel fixture is the ‘reason’ why they refused to meet the committee over the next couple of weeks.
Given the amount of money the Government gives the FAI, that is quite the statement. So is the fact that the FAI, according to Joanne, told the committee that there is no date in July or before the Dail recess when they can make it back to Leinster House. Pesky things, holidays.
Joanne had many other interesting things to say yesterday on the Israel boycott subject, all of which are available on the LMFM podcast for their flagship show, The Agenda.
She remains adamant that the use of a statement from the Palestinian football authorities in their own FAI statement announcing the transfer of the home game against Israel to a neutral venue has backfired on the FAI. An act of deception she called it.
Joanna also told listeners that the Stop The Game movement will now double down with their efforts to do as their campaign title says.
She’s not alone by the way. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy told the same show that he believes some Irish players will boycott the games in September and October, even if the FAI won’t.
Labour TD Ged Nash insisted on Monday that moving the game out of Dublin will not resolve the issue and added that UEFA have ‘gotten off Scot free’ in this debate. As indeed they have, so far.
All that may change. At lunchtime on Friday, the FAI wrote to AGM members confirming that the Board has indeed now called that EGM to discuss Israel on Wednesday, July 8th.
The notice of the meeting says that wording for a proposed motion to be put to the General Assembly has been reviewed and accepted by those members who had previously called for such an EGM, a call that was ruled out of order.
Given that the FAI Board are adamant that the games against Israel will be played, it seems certain there will be no mention of the word boycott in that agreed motion on July 8th - assuming holidays don’t force that EGM to be postponed as well.
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This gets interesting now. Have those AGM members who demanded this EGM reneged on their beliefs that the Israeli fixtures should be boycotted? Are they now happy with a neutral venue?
We will find out in due course but one thing is for certain - the Stop The Game movement isn’t going away and they won’t accept any neutral venue as three TDs confirmed this week.
This story has a long way to go - and probably all the way back to Leinster House for the FAI Board and their senior management team. Sooner rather than later, I suspect.
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It's Friday and our League of Ireland duo of Darryl Geraghty and editor Cathal Dervan discuss all the action, chat about the proposed Finn Harps takeover and look ahead of another great night for Shamrock Rovers captain Pico Lopes.
or listen to the full episode on our Spotify channel
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The key stories developing today
Pico Lopes will take a step back in time before he faces Saudi Arabia in Cape Verde’s decisive World Cup game in Houston tonight - and hope that history repeats itself.
Lopes was watching in the classroom as a young primary school student back in 2002 when Damien Duff scored the third and final goal as Ireland defeated the Saudis to book their place in the second phase of the World Cup finals.
A win for Cape Verde tonight will guarantee their passage to the knockout out phase after those amazing draws against Spain and Uruguay while a draw may be enough to ease them through to the last 32.
But, as RTE Sport reports, Lopes will be looking to capture that 2002 spirit when he vividly remembers the TV being wheeled into the classroom for that Saudi game.
“Wouldn’t it be amazing now if history repeated itself and that was the sort of win that took us to the next phase,” said Lopes.
“It’s a great opportunity for us and we can’t get drawn in thinking that’s going to be an easy game or a foregone conclusion. I think Saudi Arabia are a really good team.
“They have some real quality in the side that can hurt you. We won’t be getting carried away yet. Just focus on the game at hand and hopefully we can get it done.”
The report adds that Cape Verde coach Bubista is adamant his side will not be overawed by the occasion tonight.
“We are very happy to be able to participate in the World Cup,” he said. “Football belongs to everyone. It does not belong only to wealthier countries.
“Saudi Arabia are a very organised team. They have great transitions, it is a difficult opponent, but we will rely on our organisation. We have confidence in our plan.”
The Shamrock Rovers players will be staying after their game against Galway United tonight to watch their team-mate Pico Lopes in World Cup action against Saudi Arabia.
And defender Lee Grace told the Irish Sun that Lopes and Cape Verde will prove their is more to the Dubliner’s World Cup story than his LinkedIn starting point that has now made headlines all over the world.
Grace said: “The LinkedIn story is blown up, but besides all the stuff off the pitch he’s been unbelievable on it. It’s obviously easy to say with the rose tinted glasses on because he’s our teammate, he’s Irish or whatever.
“But he has been unbelievable and long may he continue, hopefully now the next game and hopefully into the knockouts. If he keeps them levels up and you never know they could cause an upset somewhere down the line.
“I’m so proud watching him. And, to be fair, he’s probably been Cape Verde’s best player in the both games. He’s potentially the best player in the field in the both games he’s played, especially defensively.
“It’s just unbelievable, I’m so happy for him. Everyone has said it already, the gaffer has said it many times, he’s worked tirelessly up until now so he deserves everything he gets.”
The Irish Examiner has revealed that the FAI will hold an EGM called by its Board on July 8th to discuss the Nations League clashes with Israel that have caused so much friction within Irish football.
John Fallon’s exclusive story, since confirmed by a letter from the FAI to all AGM members, also states that a motion to be balloted upon at the meeting is unlikely to be a boycott of the Israel fixtures.
Fallon states: “Initially the motion was deemed out of order due to questions around FAI membership and it now appears that the board will put their own motion to the floor seeking affirmation of their position.”
Shelbourne will turn to the stats as they scour Europe for a replacement for sacked manager Joey O’Brien who left Tolka Park on Thursday, just over 48 hours before Saturday night’s Premier Division game away to Sligo.
The Irish Independent has dubbed the managerial search as a reliance on Moneyball data and suggests the Reds could unveil the first continental manager in their history.
Stephen Rice, Jim Crawford, Kevin Doherty and Gavin Peers are among the names linked with the job.
