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\nIn 1999, then taoiseach Bertie Ahern faced a dilemma over the Ireland-Yugoslavia fixture<\/p>\n
Whoever first coined the phrase “sport and politics don’t mix” clearly wasn’t much of a sports fan or political anorak.<\/p>\n
In reality, the sporting world and the debating stage are far more closely linked than often stated, with their influence on framing – and reflecting – public mood, meaning examples are never far from reach, both at home and abroad.<\/p>\n
If you’re in doubt, just ask one of Ireland’s more recent sporting and political anoraks, Bertie.<\/p>\n
In the spring of 1999, when Mr Ahern was taoiseach, he was faced with a significant sporting dilemma that was increasingly becoming a political one too.<\/p>\n
The Republic of Ireland, as luck would have it, were scheduled to play the then-Yugoslavia in a Euro 2000 qualifying game at Lansdowne Road that June.<\/p>\n
The away fixture had taken place in Belgrade the previous autumn amid looming NATO bombing in response to Slobodan Milo\u0161evi\u0107’s campaign of ethnic cleansing against Kosovo Albanians, many of whom had fled to safety in Ireland and other EU nations.<\/p>\n
However, by early 1999 the crisis had deepened, leaving the Football Association of Ireland – and the Irish government – with a high-profile problem.<\/p>\n
\nIn 1999, then taoiseach Bertie Ahern faced a dilemma over the Ireland-Yugoslavia fixture<\/p>\n
As the June game at Lansdowne Road approached, and with a lasting NATO-enforced ceasefire yet to be agreed, the then Fianna F\u00e1il-Progressive Democrats coalition took the decision to refuse to offer the Yugoslavia team visas to enter Ireland, citing public opinion.<\/p>\n
Football’s European governing body UEFA, quick to reference the mantra that “sport and politics do not mix”, in turn threatened the FAI with a fine, points deductions, or being banned from future tournaments if the fixture did not go ahead as planned.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the FAI’s chief executive Bernard O’Byrne argued he was powerless to do anything, as the visa decision was the government’s alone to decide.<\/p>\n
Eventually, after a government statement again said that in light of what was taking place “it would not be appropriate for this football match to take place in Ireland”, the game was postponed, a week before the NATO bombing campaign was suspended and a peace plan drawn up.<\/p>\n
And after all the threats of sanctions, the only impact on the FAI was a UEFA decision for it to pay the expense of the Yugoslavia team and to make a donation to a charity based in Switzerland, with the game itself taking place in September, Ireland, incidentally, winning 2-1.<\/p>\n
No two circumstances are ever identical, and the 1999 situation with the then-Yugoslavia is of course a very different case to the 2026 situation of what is happening in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
But there are clear similarities, many of which are likely to receive a fresh airing when the Republic of Ireland’s upcoming UEFA Nations League game against Israel comes under sharp D\u00e1il focus this week.<\/p>\n
D\u00e1il opposition motions<\/p>\n
That sharp focus has been caused by opposition parties Sinn F\u00e9in and the Social Democrats, both of whom have tabled D\u00e1il motions this week calling for Government to stop both the 4 October fixture in Dublin and an earlier 27 September fixture in a neutral venue from taking place.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in’s motion will be heard on Tuesday and is focused not just on the game but on wider relations between Ireland and Israel as well.<\/p>\n
It specifically calls for the Government to ask the FAI to “refuse to participate in the proposed matches because engagement contributes to the normalisation of occupation and apartheid”, to “cover the cost of any financial penalty the FAI may incur”, and to “deny entry into Ireland” of Israeli players, fans and officials including President Isaac Herzog and sports minister Makhlouf Zohar.<\/p>\n
Speaking to RT\u00c9 News at the Tressell festival at the RDS yesterday, Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald said “there is no support for the Irish soccer team to play under our tricolour” against Israel at the current time, saying it would be “unconscionable and unspeakable”.<\/p>\n
She said the match should also not take place in any neutral venue, saying “no one should be playing the Israeli football team”.<\/p>\n
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\nMary Lou McDonald has upped the pressure on the coalition by tabling a D\u00e1il motion opposing the match<\/p>\n
A separate Social Democrats motion will also be heard on Wednesday, and will call on Government to “advocate at national and international level for Israel to be excluded from all international sporting competitions as long as the genocide and illegal occupation continues”, as well as asking the coalition to “support Irish sporting bodies to boycott fixtures, events, and competitions where Israel is competing” until there is a lasting peace in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Social Democrats TD and former chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Sinead Gibney, said this weekend the motion is “far from symbolic, we’ve had two and a half years of absolute devastation broadcast on our screens”.<\/p>\n
Both motions have already received the backing of Labour leader Ivana Bacik, People Before Profit-Solidarity and other left leaning groups, but perhaps understandably, the matter is far more complex for those in Government.<\/p>\n
While no formal position will be taken by the coalition until after its pre-cabinet leader\u2019s meeting this evening, it is a near racing certainty the Government will oppose both motions.<\/p>\n
Several coalition sources have indicated this is because of the potential wider implications to jobs and the economy blocking the game could cause; the potential business response not only from Israel but from the US as well; and the ongoing argument that Ireland should work in tandem with other EU member states when it comes to relations with Israel in the current climate.<\/p>\n
It has also been noted that there is a real risk the FAI could face fines, points deductions or a ban if the game does not take place, with the unlikely but not impossible scenario of Ireland’s co-hosting of Euro 2028 potentially put in doubt.<\/p>\n
The long-standing argument that sport and politics should be kept separate, particularly as world footballing body FIFA’s own constitution takes a dim view of any perceived political interference, has also been put forward, leaving Government – and ministers acutely aware of the intense public interest in the situation – in an uncomfortable position.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Cork yesterday evening, Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin was again asked about the upcoming fixture and this week’s motions, said Government would wait until it sees the exact wording of both motions before deciding what to do, and acknowledged the challenge of how to approach the current scenario.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think we should always reduce the issue to one particular game or one particular event. Football has been on the up in more recent times and I would hate to see the team lose out on future qualification prospects,” he said.<\/p>\n
Government defence<\/p>\n
Some might suggest that this week’s motions are not simply about whether the game takes place or not, and have at least as much to do with Sinn F\u00e9in and the Social Democrats trying to gain the upper hand on a Government that despite criticism has taken measures to reflect the public’s views on the crisis in the middle east.<\/p>\n
While that claim is rejected by opposition parties, it certainly isn’t far from the minds of those in the coalition itself.<\/p>\n
Since news of the upcoming motions emerged, Government sources have been keen to emphasise the actions Ireland has taken to address what is happening in Gaza and south Lebanon, and to condemn the violence taking place.<\/p>\n
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