SIPTU representatives have said the FAI and other employers involved in the scheduled Ireland-Israel fixtures have a clear duty of care to players, staff and workers being asked to participate in and service the games.
SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, Greg Ennis, said: “These are clearly not normal international fixtures. There are serious security, reputational and emotional issues surrounding these games and we would hope that the FAI and every employer involved has carried out full and appropriate risk assessments for the workers and players concerned.
“Let’s be clear about what the Irish team is being asked to line out against. A team representing a country which a UN commission of inquiry last summer found has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and this year a further investigation determined that the country has deliberately targeted children with military force, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“The FAI is asking young sportspeople to choose between representing their country and taking part in fixtures which carry very clear reputational and possible emotional consequences for them. That is an unacceptable position in which to place any player.”
SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, Adrian Kane, said: “The FAI is an unsuitable organisation to make decisions that will impact the long-term wellbeing of staff and players. Although it receives considerable state funding, it refuses to collectively bargain with its staff and has fought demands for union recognition in the workplace. It is an organisation which refuses to listen to its workforce and is now refusing to listen to the public.
“The decision on this issue needs to be taken out of the FAI’s hands. These games should not be played. FAI executives have taken decisions which are not in the best interests of our international team players or of football in Ireland. They have decided to alienate fans rather than take the lead they are demanding and boycott these games.”
He added: “The reality is the minute an Irish team walks onto that pitch in Hungary, Israel has won, and we have lost. Sports administrators’ number one duty should be to the wellbeing of the people who wear the green jersey and represent our Republic; all other concerns are secondary.”