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FAI director of football John Martin says Ireland should not have to play Israel but has defended the decision to fulfil the Nations League fixtures. He says the FAI, chief executive David Courell and the board must own the decision and protect players from criticism.
FAI director of football John Martin says the Republic of Ireland should not be in the position where it has to play Israel in the upcoming Uefa Nations League, but the association has decided the controversial fixtures will go ahead.
Ireland will face Israel in Hungary on 27 September before meeting the same opponents behind closed doors in Bačka Topola, Serbia, on 4 October. The second fixture was originally scheduled for Dublin but was moved for operational reasons. Uefa provided the FAI with a shortlist of neutral venues, all of them in Serbia. Bačka Topola, which is about 160 kilometres from Belgrade, was selected for the match, which will be played without supporters.
The closed-door arrangement follows an incident at Ireland's friendly against Qatar at the Aviva Stadium last May, when pro-Palestinian activists disrupted the game by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch. Israel has not hosted international or European club matches since October 2023 because of security concerns. Ireland will begin the international window away to Kosovo on 24 September and will host Austria at the Aviva Stadium on 1 October.
The two Israel fixtures are expected to dominate the four-game period because of the security concerns and the political controversy surrounding them. There is unease from everybody, Martin said, identifying concern among himself, the FAI executive and the board. He said they all agreed Ireland should not have to be in this position, while acknowledging that the association had decided the games should be played. The FAI has previously said it does not want to play the fixtures.
Martin said he personally did not want to play them either, but disagreed with the argument that participation should be allowed to damage Irish football. The association estimated that refusing to fulfil the games would cost Irish football upwards of €5 million. An earlier July estimate put the potential loss at at least €5.5 million, while the FAI has also warned that a boycott could lead to Uefa disciplinary sanctions and significant, lasting harm to Irish football.
Martin said responsibility for the decision belonged to David Courell, himself and the FAI board, rather than the players who would take part on the pitch. He said the association was determined to ensure that players were not blamed for a decision they did not make. Everything we are doing is with a view to trying to protect the players, Martin said.
He added that their high public profiles meant a natural spotlight would fall on them, although the FAI was working behind the scenes on operational protections and match arrangements. Martin described the situation as very different from anything the players had experienced before. He said some preparations were no different from those for any international match, but acknowledged that the political and security circumstances made these fixtures exceptional.
Israel supporters can attend the game in Hungary, although the FAI has not requested tickets for them. Match protocols between the FAI and the Israel Football Association had not been finalised, and Martin could not confirm whether Ireland's players would refuse to shake hands with their opponents. Ireland's basketball players took that stance before and after a EuroBasket qualifier against Israel in February 2024, following an allegation of antisemitism made against them by an Israeli player.
Martin said he was not in a position to say whether the football team would do the same. Minister for Sport Patrick O'Donovan will not travel to Hungary or Serbia. RTÉ and Newstalk, the broadcast rights holders, are planning significantly reduced coverage, with RTÉ expected to provide neither studio punditry nor commentary for the matches. Manager Heimir Hallgrímsson is due to announce his Ireland squad on Thursday.
The selection will cover the games against Kosovo, Israel and Austria, and no player has formally told the FAI that they do not want to be selected for the Nations League camp. Martin said he was not privy to every conversation involving players and therefore could not rule out private concerns. He stressed that the FAI remained conscious of the need to shield the squad from criticism and the wider public debate.
Martin was also speaking after reports that the FAI was investigating possible breaches of third-party ownership rules involving Shamrock Rovers players Alex Noonan and Michael Noonan. The pair are not related, and Rovers self-reported to Fifa over whether a percentage of a future transfer fee was owed to their agent, David Moss. Martin was Shamrock Rovers chief executive when the contracts were agreed.
Alex Noonan has since joined Ipswich Town, while Michael Noonan was confirmed on Monday as set to sign for Nottingham Forest on a free transfer next July. Moss has said he complied with all legal and regulatory requirements regarding the contracts. Martin said he was very comfortable with his time at Shamrock Rovers and stood by everything he had done there, insisting he had acted in the club's best interests.
Martin said the matter was closed for him from the moment he left Shamrock Rovers. He said he had remained dignified, respectful and professional towards the club and would continue to do so, adding that he would not publicly call people out or become involved in an argument. If an oversight emerged, Martin said he would accept responsibility.
However, he insisted that he had moved on and had too much to do in his FAI role, adding that football in Ireland needed people to behave with dignity and respect. Martin also criticised the condition of the FAI's national training centre at Abbotstown. He described it as scandalous that the facility has pitches but no suitable showers or dressing rooms, forcing the association to rent changing rooms from Sport Ireland.
He said the lack of proper facilities had a major impact on his role and on the football department. Martin also outlined FAI plans to redevelop a National Training Centre on the Sport Ireland campus so the association can properly cater for underage and senior international teams.
IrishTimes 
The42_ie:'We shouldn’t be in the position where we have to play the games' - FAI director of football on facing IsraelThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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