National Governing Bodies
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-11
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Ruth Coppinger (PBP), Dublin West

I keep hearing the Minister of State say "we will continue to do". What has the Government actually done? I know it has talked but here is the chance to actually do something. For example, under the ruling of the International Court of Justice, which this Government has signed up to, all states are obliged not to recognise Israel's illegal acts. Only this week, two Palestinian women footballers were kidnapped. We know ten clubs play in occupied Palestinian territories. We know Israel has killed 1,000 athletes. What more does the Government want? We know it is very afraid of the American multinationals but surely the Government could do something on this. It has failed to act. The staff and players have a legal right to freedom of expression. I will keep the pressure on the Government to underwrite any potential losses the FAI might endure. It is very clear, however, that the FAI has huge legal grounds because UEFA is breaching its own statutes and legislation. There is no way the FAI would face fines.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-11