The Professional footballers of Ireland have voted against Ireland facing Israel in the nation’s league.
The Professional football association of Ireland (PFAI) members voted 63% against Ireland fulfilling the fixture. Whereas, two-thirds of members saying they will not attend the game if goes ahead.
66% of members voted against attending the game, 79% of those members say that was due to moral reasons.
14% cited moral grounds with 8% noting different reasons. The results were captured in a survey issued to the PFAI members.
“League of Ireland players are an essential voice in Irish football, and their views deserve to be listened to;” said Roberto Lopes, Chairperson, PFA Ireland.
“The majority opinion expressed in this survey is clear, and it reflects the principles and concerns of players who care deeply about the game and its values.
“It’s important that their voice is heard and respected as discussions around these fixtures continue.”
RTE confirm coverage of Ireland v Isreal
Meanwhile, RTE have confirmed they will broadcast the Ireland v Isreal game if it goes ahead.
The national broadcaster are rights holders for Ireland’s games in the UEFA Nations league. However, a number of queries of the broadcaster has been raised after their decision to withdraw from the Eurovisiion.
In a statement to Shannonside Northern Sound, RTE said; “If the match goes ahead – and that is a decision for the FAI as the relevant national sporting body – RTÉ will broadcast it in line with its contractual and therefore binding legal obligations and of course our overall commitment to supporting Ireland’s national teams.
In essence, the decisions regarding participation by Ireland’s national soccer team in any tournament are the responsibility of the appropriate official national sporting body – in this case the FAI.
Decisions relating to the broadcast of these events are therefore dependent on such decisions.
RTÉ’s decision in this case is different to RTÉ’s decision regarding the Eurovision Song Contest, which is owned and run by the EBU, for one main reason. In that case, it is national public service broadcasters/media (PSM’s) who operate the selection process to decide which song/artist will represent their country in the Contest and therefore it is entirely the decision of the PSM whether to take part or not. In Ireland, the responsibility obviously falls to RTÉ as Ireland’s national PSM, and a member of the EBU. So, RTÉ was able to make an independent decision on both participation and broadcasting of the Eurovision.”
