I must now deal with a deferred division relating to the ministerial amendment to the motion on the Stop the Game campaign and FAI participation in matches against Israel. Yesterday, on the question, "That the amendment be made", a division was claimed and the division must be taken now.
Stop the Game Campaign and FAI Participation in Matches against Israel: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Joanna Byrne on Tuesday, 9 June 2026:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes:
— the findings of major international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Palestinian human rights organisations, that Israel operates a system of apartheid against the Palestinian people;
— the ongoing military occupation of Palestinian territories, the expansion of illegal settlements, restrictions on freedom of movement, collective punishment, and repeated attacks on civilians in Gaza and the West Bank;
— the 2016 United Nations (UN) resolution, which reaffirms that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to a two-state solution;
— the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2024 entitled "Legal Consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem", which determined that Israel's settlement policies, annexation and exploitation of natural resources violate International Law, and mandated Israel end its occupation, dismantle settlements and pay reparations to the Palestinian people;
— the Prevention of Genocide 2024 and 2025 provisional measures issued by the ICJ, that concluded that Palestinians are at risk of irreparable damage and ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts that fall under the UN Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and to comply with international humanitarian law;
— that FIFA's statutes prohibit member associations and their clubs from playing on the territory of another member association without that association's approval, Israeli clubs based in illegal West Bank settlements continue to play under the Israel Football Association within the territory of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), without the PFA's consent, and thus contrary to this rule;
— that UEFA, as a confederation, is obliged to comply with, and enforce, FIFA statutes and decisions;
— that at least 1,008 athletes, players and sports officials have been killed in the genocide, and close to 300 sports facilities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been destroyed by Israel;
— that at least ten Israeli football clubs are located in occupied Palestinian territory, in violation of the ICJ Advisory Opinion of July 2024, and Article 64.2 of FIFA's statute; and
— Israel's policy of mandatory military service means that team members may have fought with the Israel Occupation Forces when war crimes were committed;
further notes:
— the historic role sport played in isolating apartheid South Africa, and the importance of sporting boycotts in challenging systems of racial segregation and oppression;
— FIFA and UEFA banned Russia in 2022, in response to the decision of the football associations of Czechia, Poland and Sweden to refuse to play Russia in international competition, and no action was taken by FIFA or UEFA against these associations for refusing to play Russia, thus setting a clear legal and moral precedent;
— the UN International Convention against Apartheid in Sports (1985), which recognised that sporting contacts with apartheid states undermine international efforts against racial discrimination and oppression;
— that in November 2025, 93 per cent of Football Association of Ireland (FAI) members voted to instruct the Association to call on UEFA to suspend Israel;
— in May, FAI general assembly members secured the numbers to call an Emergency General Meeting to vote on Ireland's participation in the football matches;
— the growing support across Ireland for the "Stop the Game" campaign, calling on the FAI to refuse participation in international fixtures against Israel, while violations of international law and apartheid policies continue; and
— the strong tradition of solidarity in Ireland with oppressed peoples and anti-apartheid struggles internationally;
recognises that:
— sport cannot be separated from fundamental questions of human rights, equality, and international law;
— Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, affirms every child's right to play and participation in sporting life as integral to their dignity and development, and that the systematic killing of child athletes and destruction of sporting infrastructure in Gaza therefore constitutes not only a violation of international humanitarian law, but a direct and catastrophic assault on the fundamental rights of Palestinian children;
— under the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights, all business enterprises, including sport's governing bodies, have a responsibility to respect human rights', and FIFA and UEFA have each voluntarily committed to meeting this responsibility by incorporating the UNGPs into their statutes and governance frameworks;
— allowing normal sporting relations with states accused of apartheid, and grave breaches of international law, contributes to the normalisation of oppression; and
— Irish sporting bodies, and the Irish Government, have moral and political responsibilities to uphold human rights standards and international law;
believes that UEFA and FIFA should uphold their stated human rights commitments and suspend Israel from international football competitions, until it complies with international law and human rights obligations; and
calls on the Government to:
— support calls from the Irish football community, which includes the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland and Irish Football Supporters Partnership, for the FAI to refuse to participate in the proposed matches against Israel, scheduled for September 27th and October 4th, in protest on legal and moral grounds;
— uphold its obligations under international law to not engage in economic or trade dealings with Israel which may entrench the illegal occupation by implementing meaningful legislation and sanctions, and this extends to sporting and cultural life within illegal settlements, i.e., settlement football clubs, because engagement contributes to the normalisation of occupation and apartheid;
— support the application of the principles contained within the UN International Convention against Apartheid in Sports to states operating systems of racial domination and oppression, and to sign up to this Convention;
— deny any Israeli football players and staff, Israeli officials, including Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports, Makhlouf Zohar, and President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, and Israeli fans who have participated in violations of international law, entry into Ireland;
— agree to cover the costs of any financial penalty that the FAI may incur through refusing to play the games; and
— send copies of this motion to the FAI, UEFA and FIFA.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 2:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes:
— that the Irish people are deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and Gulf region, particularly the situation in Palestine, and that the Government is committed to working with key partners to end the conflict;
— that Israeli actions in Palestine consistently contravene international law, and the Government continues to press for appropriate action, both at European Union (EU) and international level, in response to egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles;
— Ireland's commitment to working with key partners to end the conflict in Gaza, and to advancing a sustainable peace plan and addressing the huge challenges facing Palestinians in Gaza;
— the Government's grave concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with intolerable conditions;
— that Israel must immediately remove restrictions on aid access and facilitate essential supplies and services to reach people across the Gaza Strip;
— the Government's condemnation of the law passed by the Israeli parliament to expand the scope of the death penalty and revive its implementation in Israel and occupied Palestine;
— the particular concerns about the discriminatory nature of the law as it relates to Palestinians, and that the implementation of this law would give rise to serious breaches of international human rights law and international humanitarian law;
— the approval and publication of the text of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026, noting that the Bill fulfils the commitment set out in the Programme for Government, to progress legislation to prohibit the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, and further noting the proposed introduction of the Bill in Dáil Éireann this week;
— that, in line with the Taoiseach's statement, Ireland will act to prevent those members of the Government of Israel who have been instrumental in fomenting the unfolding disaster in Gaza, and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has instructed immigration officers to refuse entry to Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security of Israel, and Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance of Israel, should they seek to enter Ireland;
— Ireland's support of an EU-wide prohibition on trade with Israeli settlements, and that at both the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) and the FAC Trade in May, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, requested that the European Commission bring forward proposals for a prohibition on EU trade with settlements, on the basis of the EU's Common Commercial Policy, and furthermore, that the Minister also reiterated Ireland's longstanding position that the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended or, at a minimum, that the trade elements should be suspended;
— that a number of other member states supported Ireland's call for stronger collective EU action, and agreed that targeted sanctions alone cannot substitute for meaningful measures relating to trade with illegal settlements; and
— that the Taoiseach also wrote to European Council President, António Costa, on 20th May, reiterating Ireland's position on EU trade with Israel, and requesting an urgent discussion of these issues among EU leaders at the next meeting of the European Council on 18-19 June;
in relation to sport, further notes that:
— the performance and integrity of our top athletes on the international stage have a very positive representational impact for Ireland, as Irish sport provides the world with a window into Ireland and the Irish people, both at home and abroad;
— international success for our top sports people enriches our country in a variety of ways, and Ireland's achievements on the global sporting stage have been a cause of both celebration and inspiration for the Irish public, and will continue to be so into the future; and
— the Government is committed to supporting Irish athletes competing at the highest level of international competition; and
recognises that:
— national governing bodies of sport, such as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), are independent, autonomous bodies responsible for the governance of their own sports, including the organisation of sporting fixtures, whether in domestic or international competitions;
— it is the role of the FAI to decide to fulfil its UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel in September (home) and October (away);
— the FAI has stated that it intends to fulfil both fixtures against Israel; and
— the Government acknowledges the FAI's independence and autonomy in arriving at this decision and any decisions it may make in the coming days.".
- (Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 81; Níl, 68; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Michael.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Ennis, Daniel.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Charles.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Amendment No. 1 not moved.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 81; Níl, 68; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Michael.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Ennis, Daniel.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Charles.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.