Boycott of Israel games would cause 'significant and lasting harm' - FAI

Boycott of Israel games would cause 'significant and lasting harm' - FAIImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The Republic of Ireland's Nations League games against Israel have both been scheduled for neutral venuesPublished3 minutes agoThe Republic of Ireland boycotting this autumn's games against Israel would cause "significant and lasting harm" to Irish football as well as leading to a potential loss of 10.3m euros (£9m), says the Football Association of Ireland.Following the Nations League draw in February, the FAI confirmed it would fulfil the fixtures, with chief executive David Courell saying the governing body had "no choice" and could face "serious consequences" if it pulled out of the games.However, an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the FAI's General Assembly was triggered when more than 10% of its members opposed playing the Nations League games. The EGM will take place on Wednesday, 8 July, although its outcome is non-binding on the FAI executive.That development followed rising pressure to boycott the games after 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.A motion put forward by the FAI Board to its members states: "While acknowledging the strength of feeling regarding support for Palestine and the upcoming Uefa Men's Nations League fixtures, that the members recognise the profound impact that any non-fulfilment of Uefa fixtures would have on Irish football as a whole and on its future development, and accordingly endorses the Association fulfilling its obligations in respect of those fixtures."The FAI board has also outlined its reasons for not boycotting the games on 27 September and 4 October."Having considered all the availab...