Robbie Keane is once again stirring controversy in Ireland, as the former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach, who led the team to a championship just last season, was invited by the Irish Football Association to present commemorative shields to players making their debut on youth national teams and to speak with senior team members.
However, the event sparked criticism, as many objected to the soccer legend's recent coaching role in Israel, especially during the ongoing war, with Irish media noting he “did not halt his work even as Israel intensified the situation with the Palestinians.”
Icelandic national team coach Heimir Hallgrímsson expressed his support, saying, “[Keane] made a good speech. The players were asking him questions. I think it is good to connect the legends from the past to the present,” which further fueled the backlash.
Comments on the Irish Football Association's social media post included harsh criticism of Keane, with one comment even calling him a “collaborator with the Zionist regime.”
Robbie Keane's wife, Claudine, shared on her X account that she no longer feels safe in Ireland due to the backlash they’ve been receiving. "I would just like to remind a certain small group of individuals my family, my children and I live Ireland, this is our home. I feel extremely uncomfortable and sometimes intimidated by some messages again from a small group that are hurtful, threatening, and dangerous. They are inciting hated by making absolutely outrageous accusations. I always felt safe in Ireland until now."
“None of us signed up to this situation that happened months into his role, it was a nightmare! Please stop this absolute witch hunt and consider that politicians should not get to tell you where you can and cannot work,” she said.
“To see a politician say he should not be welcomed because he went to work in a country he does not like before the war began and resigned from a job he loved and did well to protect us his family in Ireland."
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