FAI president says Ireland faced uncertain extra sanctions if Israel match was not played

Football Association of Ireland president Paul Cooke said the Republic of Ireland could have faced undetermined additional sanctions if it had refused to play Israel in the Nations League on Sunday. Ireland played and won 3-0, so the penalties he described remain a hypothetical question. Under UEFA’s 2026/27 Nations League rules, refusal to play would mean a forfeiture; its disciplinary bodies could decide whether the circumstances warranted further measures, including disqualification.

Cooke told RTÉ Sport, in remarks reported by BBC Sport, that UEFA had not threatened the FAI with a particular additional penalty. He said the rules specified consequences for failing to fulfil a fixture and also referred to further sanctions that were undetermined. The distinction matters: a possible measure under a competition rule is not a decision that UEFA made about this match.

What UEFA’s rules say

Article 26.01 of the Nations League regulations says UEFA’s disciplinary bodies declare a match forfeited by an association that refuses to play or is responsible for a match not taking place. The same provision permits those bodies to impose further measures they consider appropriate if the circumstances justify them, including disqualification from the competition. The regulations took effect on 15 September 2026, before the Ireland-Israel match.

Other provisions address possible financial consequences. Under Article 26.05, an association responsible for a match not being played may lose its rights to UEFA payments, depending on the gravity of the circumstances. Article 26.06 allows UEFA to set compensation for financial loss if an aggrieved association makes a reasoned, well-documented request. Neither provision establishes that a payment was withheld or compensation ordered in this case.

Why the fixture was in doubt

The match took place in Debrecen, Hungary, as a neutral-venue fixture amid calls for Ireland to withdraw over the Israel-Gaza war. BBC Sport reported that the Stop The Game campaign, organised by Irish Sport for Palestine, had pressed for a boycott. The controversy had followed the teams since they were drawn together in the Nations League group in February.

The pressure on the squad was visible before kick-off. RTÉ Sport reported that a planned press conference on Saturday was delayed by more than five hours while players discussed whether to proceed. FAI chief executive David Courell said a four-hour meeting ended with a significant majority voting to fulfil the fixture. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the squad, explaining his decision in a statement reported by RTÉ.

The public debate had also reached the association’s members. RTÉ reported that an FAI extraordinary general meeting in July backed playing the two fixtures. Before Sunday’s match, Courell said the association had formally sought Israel’s removal from international football but that UEFA had not taken that step. He argued that the FAI’s decision to play reflected the position approved by its board and membership.

The earlier campaign for a boycott was also covered in NewsJaws’ report on Irish sportspeople urging the Republic of Ireland to boycott the Israel game. The question facing the squad on Saturday was immediate: whether to play the scheduled fixture despite those calls and the prospect of consequences under competition rules. The players voted to go ahead, and Ireland then completed the match.

The second match and the wider dispute

Ireland and Israel were scheduled to meet again on 4 October in Backa Topola, Serbia. RTÉ reported earlier in September that the fixture designated as Ireland’s home game would be played behind closed doors and that no tickets would be sold to Ireland supporters for either game. Those arrangements underline how unusual the two-match programme is, even though Sunday’s result settled the immediate question of whether the first fixture would be fulfilled.

Cooke also said UEFA had told the FAI it would consider a letter proposing Israel’s expulsion from international and club competitions, and that, as far as he knew, it was still considering the proposal. That is Cooke’s account of UEFA’s response; the cited reporting does not establish a UEFA decision on the request. For any future refusal to play, the applicable rule sets out the starting point, while any additional disciplinary measure would depend on UEFA’s assessment of that case.