Pick a side or admit you haven’t got one

THE thing about integrity is that to have it, you must stand by your beliefs even when it is unpopular or detrimental to you.

The quickest way to test whether a person or organisation has integrity is to offer them power, money or increase the pressure.

So here we are, staring down the barrel of a potential Nations League match between Ireland and Israel.

A game that will be unsafe on the pitch, off the pitch, for fans and staff alike.

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The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) previously voted by 74 to seven to request Israel’s suspension from European club and international competitions back in November 2025.

This is in line with the general mood of the Irish public, who are among the strongest supporters in the world of boycotting anything to do with Israel, given the genocide and war crimes they have committed and continue to commit on some of the most vulnerable people on earth.

To no surprise, no such suspension ever took place. Israel goes on to bomb and maim children while taking part in international sports like the Olympics and, for some unknown and geographically dubious reason, the Eurovision Song Contest.

An FAI statement explained........

© The Irish News