Palestine FA says it does not endorse Republic of Ireland v Israel gameImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The Republic of Ireland’s home Nations League fixture with Israel has been moved to a neutral venue and behind closed doors Published28 minutes agoPalestine’s Football Association (PFA) has mentioned it does not endorse the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League game with Israel being moved to a neutral venue. On Friday, it was validated by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) that the fixture would be played away from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on 4 October after Uefa granted approval for the game to be played behind closed doors at a neutral venue.Pressure to boycott the fixture has built as protests took place outside the Dail (Irish parliament), while May’s friendly with Qatar was twice disrupted when tennis balls featuring the Palestine flag were thrown onto the pitch. A ‘Stop the Game’ campaign has also been launched by the group Irish Sport for Palestine. When confirming the game had been moved, the FAI quoted a statement from the Palestine FA saying that it “affirms its respect for the decision” made by the FAI to move the game to a neutral venue.
“The Palestinian Football Association expresses its appreciation for the principled positions taken by the Football Association of Ireland in support of the rights of the Palestinian people and Palestinian athletes,” the FAI quoted the Palestine FA as saying.
“The Palestinian Football Association also affirms its respect for the decision made by the Football Association of Ireland within the framework of its sporting and international obligations, in a manner that enables it to continue fulfilling its noble mission of serving football and promoting the values of justice, solidarity, and mutual respect.”
However, the Palestine FA mentioned on Thursday that it “wished to clarify” that it has not issued any statement “endorsing, approving or supporting the decision to proceed with the match”.
“Any interpretation suggesting the PFA has given its blessing to the fixture does not accurately reflect our position,” it mentioned.
