The Irish U-17 women's soccer team turned their backs on the pitch as the Israeli national anthem played before a Euro 2024 qualifier in Tirana, Albania on Friday, protesting Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
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The Israel Football Association hopes that UEFA and FIFA will take disciplinary action against the Irish team in light of the event.
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Irish U-17 women's soccer team turn their backs as the Israeli national anthem plays before a Euro 2024 qualifier in Tirana, Albania
(Photo: Screengrab)
Irish Football Association Chairman Paul Cooke on Thursday was grilled by lawmakers in the Irish parliament on allowing the game against Israel to take place.
Cooke said that while he was "personally appalled” by the situation in Gaza, the local soccer governing body was bound by UEFA’s rules. He noted that unlike Russia, which invaded Ukraine, Israel has not been suspended by UEFA.
John Brady, an anti-Israel politician from the ruling Sinn Féin party, was unimpressed by Cooke's arguments, accusing him of hypocrisy.
The Israel U-17 women’s team was playing against Ireland in the second stage of the qualifiers, having progressed from the first round with victories over Andorra (7-0), Latvia (2-0) and a defeat by Serbia (2-5).
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Israeli U-17 women's soccer team before kick-off
(Photo: Israel Football Association)
Earlier this month, players of Ireland’s national women's team who were matched with Israel in a EuroBasket qualifier match in Riga refused to shake hands with the Israeli players before the match amid the war in Gaza.
Additionally, the Irish players didn’t step onto the court for the players' introduction, but remained near the substitutes' bench.
After the incident, Meta "permanently disabled" the Instagram account of the Irish national governing body for the sport, it announced.
Sharon Drucker's players responded on the court with a resounding 30-point rout, 87-57. “Sports need to be kept outside of politics and that’s not what happened today or lately with the Irish,” Israeli captain Eden Rotberg said after the match. “It was very difficult for me to watch them during the national anthem being disrespectful.”