FAI CEO DAVID COURELL on Israel | What a boycott would mean and protesters against the association | Off The Ball
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Why did the FAI decide to fulfill the Nations League games against Israel?
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FAO CEO David Crowell, thanks very much for speaking to us today at the Aviva Stadium. I'm sure this is a very difficult time for yourself and the organisation. We're entering a range of Nations League fixtures and it's kind of been surrounded by one dark cloud in particular, that is the two games against Israel. Just firstly, before we get into the nuts and bolts, I just want to ask, now that we're on the eve of those games, are you satisfied with how yourselves and Association have dealt with this up to now?
Thanks, Ben. Look, I just want to start by acknowledging how difficult it is for everyone involved, either in or out of the association. I think everyone has a huge amount of sympathy with the atrocities that have unfolded in Gaza and the FAI are no different. I think if you cast your mind back to November 2025, when even following months of engagement by ourselves with senior leadership within UEFA, Our General Assembly brought forward a motion to call for Israel's removal from international football and that was wholeheartedly endorsed with 97% vote. We took that motion forward to UEFA. Unfortunately, it hasn't derived the outcome that we were hoping for, but I think it was important that Irish football found its voice and throughout our deliberations on whether or not to fulfil this game or these games, we've continued to use our position to try and advocate for change at an institutional level.
But going back to your question about are we satisfied, of course, We're not satisfied about the position that we're in, but I think in light of the difficult scenario that we find ourselves in, having been the only nation that has formally called for Israel's removal from international football, I think we've tried to navigate it as sympathetically and thoughtfully as we possibly could. Obviously our board are the group that have found this decision resting with them and that's something that I think we're very keen to communicate to the public is that while it's a situation and a decision that we wished we wouldn't have to contend with, that we own it and we believe that the ire of individuals that have disagreement with it should rest with us as opposed to the players who understandably are simply trying to represent their nation when they take to the field and they'll respect the decision the association has arrived at.
But the one thing I would say is we've also taken a degree of reassurance that when we deliberated on our position on this topic. We took it to our General Assembly, which is made up of 137 members from across every facet of the game, professional players, grassroots game, fans, you name it, everyone's represented in there. And I think it was as I said reassuring for us to see that 75 of that group voted in favour for the games to be fulfilled in light of the difficult situation we're in versus 32 who voted in opposition.
That vote in particular, the main reason that you put forward towards the members was sporting sanctions that the FAI could fall under on the Irish national teams. Just yesterday, the manager, Haymar Gribson, said that he doesn't fully know the sanctions that Ireland could face. Are you aware of the full sanctions that could happen? Because I think people are a little bit unsure of exactly what Ireland could face if they weren't to fulfil the Games.
Sure.
What sporting and financial sanctions could Ireland face if it forfeits the matches?
So there's a range of sanctions and they range from sporting to financial. Sporting has always been our primary focus in this regard. There is no ambiguity around what the statutes and the rules and regulations of the competition state, which is that if you fail to fulfill the games, you lose the game.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did the FAI decide to fulfill the Nations League games against Israel?
0:00–4:17
2
What sporting and financial sanctions could Ireland face if it forfeits the matches?
4:17–8:06
3
How did the General Assembly vote (75‑32) influence the decision to play?
8:06–10:52
4
What are the estimated financial losses from ticketing, broadcast and participation fees?
10:52–13:58
5
How would relegation to Nations League C affect Ireland’s future qualification chances?
13:58–16:33
6
What legal or diplomatic actions has the FAI taken against UEFA and FIFA over Israel’s participation?
16:33–20:17
7
How does the FAI view protests and public sentiment surrounding the Israel games?
20:17–22:56
8
Why were the games moved to Serbia and what safety considerations were made?
22:56–25:26
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from OTB Football
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