FAI president defends handling of Ireland's Nations League fixture against Israel

FAI PRESIDENT PAUL Cooke has defended the football association’s handling of the Irish team’s controversial fixture against Israel Sunday night. 

The FAI President was speaking to RTÉ Sport’s Tony O’Donoghue following the game between Ireland and Israel in Debrecen, Hungary, which Ireland won 3-0.

When asked about criticism of the FAI’s handling of the fixture, Cooke accepted that some people felt the situation wasn’t dealt with well, while others felt it was.

“Some people think it was quite well handled,” Cooke said.

Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and the Green Party have said the leadership of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) should consider stepping down following this weekend’s chaos over the Nations League Israel fixture.

The men’s team voted on Saturday to proceed with the game, following hours of confusion and months of pressure by Stop the Game campaigners.

The players on the Ireland squad bowed their heads as the Israel national anthem was played before kick-off, and wore black armbands “in recognition of all the lives lost in the conflict”.

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Cooke said: “We said all along that we would play the game. That was mandated through us by our members, through the board, and we’ve fulfilled one of the fixtures now thanks to the courage of those players who played tonight and togged out.”

The FAI president also praised manager Heimir Hallgrimsson: “The way he spoke yesterday in the face of some very antagonistic questions and the way he prepared the team.”

He also praised the FAI executive team. 

Cooke also said the FAI is not clear what additional sanctions Uefa would impose if Ireland had not fulfilled the Nations League Fixture. 

He said that as well as standard punishments for not fulfilling a fixture, there was the possibility of “undetermined” extras.

“The rules are clear. It specifies if we don’t fulfil the fixtures what the sanctions are and then there’s reference to other sanctions undetermined,” he said.

Cooke said the extra sanctions “depends on Uefa and what sanctions they levy on somebody as a result of it.”

When asked if the organisation had threatened any added sanctions if they withdrew from the fixtures, Cooke said “no”. 

Israel and Ireland are due to meet again for a Nations League fixture in Bačka Topola, Serbia on 4 October.