A spokesperson for the Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland (PFAI) said the body are of the view that the upcoming Nations League games against Israel "should not go ahead", while also believing that it is a "cop-out" by the government to say that the FAI made the correct decision to announce that the fixtures would be fulfilled.
It's over 24 hours since the Israel were drawn in a group alongside the Republic of Ireland for the next edition of the Nations League, with the fixtures set to take place next September and October.
Not long after the draw was completed in Belgium on Thursday, the FAI issued a statement to confirm that it will fulfil those two fixtures, in spite of voting to submit a motion to UEFA to ban Israel from its European club and international competitions at last November's FAI General Assembly.
Reaction to the prospect of two contentious games in the autumn has been plentiful, with Stuart Gilhooly, solicitor for the PFAI, outlining that body's stance on whether the Israel games should proceed on RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime.
He said: "We supported, along with Footballers Supporters' Association, the Bohemians motion passed at the FAI General Assembly.
"If we are going to be consistent about that we have to take the view that if we think Israel should be banned from European competition or from UEFA, then we should not be prepared to participate in circumstances where they are not."
And arising from that, Gilhooly added: "We are of the view that these matches should not go ahead."
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin says that Ireland fixtures with Israel should go ahead while RTÉ has also confirmed it will broadcast the games should they proceed @Corktod with the latest on the One News pic.twitter.com/Td1at1aeo0
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 13, 2026
The PFAI, however, are also of the view that it would not be fair to ask individual players to "make decisions of this nature".
Gilhooly going on to say that "these decisions should be made either by the European body itself, UEFA, who don't seem to be prepared to ban Israel or by our governing body who should say we are not going to play.
"I'm sure the views of the players will be canvassed, but I don't think it's fair to ask an individual who will be wrestling with their conscience: one player has one view and another has a different view.
"It's an opportunity (to play in a competitive competition) in their careers which they don't want to pass up. I don't think it's fair for one player who has one view and another who has a different view. It's taken out of their hands if the decision is made above them."
Gilhooly would see the calling of an emergency general assembly as beneficial at this time.
"The only way around it is to take the matter back to the general assembly, where the vote originated from.
"Initially in November, Bohemians brought the motion which was supported by ourselves and the supporters group, and 93% voted in favour of it. An overwhelming majority. The appropriate thing now is to bring it back to the general assembly and say that if this is what we said in November, are we going to stand over our beliefs or are we not?
"It is a matter for the board of the FAI whether they should participate or not. But if the board of the FAI are to have cognisance of what they call the football family or football fraternity thinks, which is what the general assembly is, a collection of interested parties around the football community in Ireland, then the board should take into the account the views of the assembly when they asked UEFA in November to ban Israel from UEFA competition.
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"UEFA have ignored that. It seems appropriate that a further motion is brought to the FAI."
Earlier on Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the ties with Israel should go ahead, agreeing with the FAI's position.
"Personally I think it's a bit of a cop-out," was Gilhooly's reaction to the government decision.
"Government should take a view and they have had plenty to say in introducing the Occupied Territories Bill, so they are not entirely neutral on this issue. I also think it's easy to say that politics and sport don't mix and in general I think most people agree.
"But somethings are above politics and some things are above sport and we are dealing with something here of huge import on a global scale and which we all know has been a massive issue throughout the world. It's too simple to say politics and sport should not mix."
