A look ahead to the weekend of sport

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The Claire Byrne Show 7 min 2 speakers 7 chapters transcribed just now

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What sparked the discussion about Ireland’s recent football loss?

Clare Byrne 0:02

The Claire Burns Show on News Talk. With

Paul Lambert 0:05

Aviva Insurance.

Clare Byrne 0:09

Now we have off the ball Zoe and Shayin with us uh in the studio. Do we really want to talk about that match last night? We have to, we don't we, um, Arlen Kosovo. We lost and it was terrible.

Paul Lambert 0:19

Yeah, it was a dreadful performance from Ireland and it was something of a reprieve to see Eamon Dunfey calling for the manager's head in the newspapers this morning. That that that felt like light sports content as opposed to everything else that's going on over the course of this international break. So I'm happy to sit here and discuss the future of Hamer Halgramson, but uh it's a far bigger story than that.

Clare Byrne 0:38

Well do you think that all the talk of what's gonna happen over the weekend, the match against Israel, that that will have impacted last night?

Paul Lambert 0:45

Yes. Like it it just has to. And it's not making excuses for the players. I I think that we've had the most forthright statement from the players in the aftermath of last night's game. Darrell O'Shea came out afterwards and said we feel exposed.

How did Irish players respond to the criticism after the Israel match?

Paul Lambert 0:56

Jason Knight came out afterwards and said I think the game shouldn't be going ahead, but it is going ahead. Like we haven't heard the players speak that stridently. It's not outrageous quotes, but from a footballer, it's pretty forthright. So they've come out with those lines and I think they They're pretty correct to be saying these sorts of things because you do feel sorry for them in this position at at this point.

Clare Byrne 1:16

It's a really difficult position that they're in. And I just say this to you when you came in there during the break. Like, do you do you think they're all going to walk onto the pitch?

Paul Lambert 1:24

Well, I I would have said absolutely, no no question about that two days ago. But now as the week has gone on, I I think it's a a non zero chance that a a plot twist might happen with regards to players appearing on on Sunday evening. Like I I I think a big moment in this week ha has actually been seeing the Israel FA coming out and accusing Hamer Halgramson of stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy. I think that was just an important reminder that it's quite hard to separate the general tone of the Israeli government from the Israeli Football Association. That that that's a very similar type of tone that we've been seeing for the last number of years. And the people who have exposed exposed the Irish footballers.

Why is the Israeli Football Association’s stance important for the upcoming weekend fixtures?

Paul Lambert 2:03

It's not just the FAI, it's it's the Irish government who have exposed, I think, the players in this instance. You've had Michal Martin back in February coming out and saying that we have to separate the football team from the Israeli government. Patrick O'Donovan in February said nobody in Ireland has a bone to pick with the Israeli football team. They've been very keen and they've been on message to separate these two things. I think this week has been a reminder, and Mihaal Martin had to come out in defence of his own head coach this week. This week has been a reminder that we cannot separate these things, but that has been the message from the government. And I think they deserve just as much criticism as the FAI do in terms of putting this position this this situation on the

Paul Lambert 2:41

shoulder uh of Jason Knight or on the shoulder of Daro Shea or or anybody else in that squad. None of them live in Ireland. They they all live in the UK, everybody or or in Italy or uh or in Spain, in Troy Parrot's case, the the closest thing to uh to to to sort of Ireland or or sort of a a pro Palestinian sort of sentiment week in, week out is Liam Scales who plays for Celtic. Everybody.

Paul Lambert 3:01

But these are footballers. We we can't expect them to do the right thing on a subject like this.

Clare Byrne 3:06

Uh a listener says Israel haven't helped themselves last night getting a player sent off mimicking shooting a gun with the corner flag after a gold celebration. Now, there that the counterclaim to that is that he does that all the time and it's supposed to be a snooker cue.

What would happen if Ireland refused to play the Israel match – walkovers or penalties?

Clare Byrne 3:18

I look, I don't know, but again I suppose it goes back to your point that it's really difficult to separate the football from the politics here and from what's happening.