Palestine flags in the stands prior to Ireland's match with Greece. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Irish pubs refuse to screen Ireland-’Israel’ matches
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Nancy Mulligans and the Felons Club, both in Belfast, have said publicly they will not show the Republic of Ireland's men's football matches against ‘Israel’; Belfast pub Roddy's has also been reported as joining the boycott.
- The pub boycotts follow the "Stop the Game" campaign, organized by Irish Sport for Palestine, which has urged the FAI to withdraw from the fixtures over ‘Israel's’ conduct in Gaza.
A number of Irish pubs have said they will not broadcast the Republic of Ireland men's football team's upcoming Nations League matches against ‘Israel’, according to statements posted by the venues and reported by local media.
Nancy Mulligans on Castle Street and the Felons Club on the Falls Road are among the venues that have announced they will not show the games, Belfast Media reported.
The Felons Club wrote on Facebook that it "will not be showing the Ireland game against the Zionists," adding, "Stop the game."
The pub boycotts follow a broader campaign called "Stop the Game," organized by the group Irish Sport for Palestine, which has urged the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to withdraw from the fixtures over ‘Israel's’ conduct in Gaza.
More than 160 Irish athletes, along with musicians including Christy Moore and the bands Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap, signed an open letter this year calling on the men's national team to boycott the games, citing what they described as breaches of UEFA and FIFA statutes over matches played on occupied Palestinian territory.
The first Ireland-’Israel’ fixture is scheduled for this weekend, with a return match in October.
Read more: ‘Israeli’ football association attacks Ireland coach over “genocide” remarks
