Ben Symes
π€ SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Because I'm thinking there, like Alexander Seferin
I'm sorry, I'm not asking about if you boycott it, I'm asking about if you fulfilled the fixture, but say, we can't hold this game in Dublin.
Hmm.
does it put something on UEFA and say you couldn't hold you could host the game you could play the game but you couldn't play it in your own venue so then there's precedent there for UEFA to turn around in Euro 28 and go oh you can play the game it's just going to take place in London or it's going to take place in Glasgow or it's going to take place in Wales yeah well like we hosted Israel here in the under 21 Euro playoffs a couple of years ago that's fine but that's not now yeah I know I know that but
Because it is a choice.
Yeah, it is a choice.
It's a choice to move it.
You can choose to play it, you can choose to not play it, you can choose to move it.
I'm just kind of thinking about similar.
Nowhere is our country with similar kind of viewpoint on this that Israel have come up against.
And, no, I played the game at home, didn't allow away fans in, and the profits were donated to... Messing South Frontier.
Exactly, which obviously helps kids in Gaza and people in Gaza.
So, like, I suppose that, like...
to unfortunately take away if you were to look at this only from a football perspective and take away the humanity of it which is not something you ever want to do but obviously there are people who are going to look at it like this and people in suits who are going to look at it like this they will say Norway fulfilled this game Ireland didn't fulfill this game where they were look we're speaking in hypotheticals Ireland may not draw Israel in Israel may not qualify for the European Championships in 2028 but if they do is the president set here now where UEFA can turn around I think it might be hmm
a couple of years ago your brain kind of thinks just quickly before I move on like if that's the retaliation you're giving to the crowd there in a country where yes over 50% of the population is made up by Muslims but imagine if a goal is scored in the Aviva Stadium against a whole country who wants you to
Out of the country and out of the place where I can't even imagine what the backers should be.
Before we move on, we're just going to hear quickly from Joanna Byrne.
Before we hear this, I just want to remind you, in case there's any kind of confusion around this, what Heyman Grimson said to me last week that or two weeks ago that he doesn't see why.
Russia are banned and Israel aren't banned I think there's a bit of confusion around what exactly people are looking for Israel to be banned for and the two UEFA statutes that they break are settlement clubs remain incorporated into the Israeli leagues in violation of FIFA territorial rules so there's about 5 or 6 Israeli clubs that are on Palestinian land that are regulated by the IFA the Israel Football Association not the IFA in the north of Ireland and compete
in the Israeli Football League.