Those in power should take Coleman's lead

Seamus Coleman needs no introduction to readers of this column. He is by far Ireland’s outstanding soccer player of the last decade. He has been a heroic captain for Everton - not the most glamorous club in English football admittedly, but a proud and successful one with a rich tradition - and also a captain and leader for the Irish team.

For the most part he has let his football do the talking but when he was wheeled out to talk up the recent friendly with Qatar he showed the decency and honesty that is very often lacking in pre-game chatter with the media. The Irish footballers have been placed in the invidious position of having to defend the stance taken by their employers, the FAI, who insist on playing against the genocidal state of Israel in the upcoming Nations League competition.

I don’t have much sympathy for the FAI, but, in fairness, they are in a bit of a bind because of the failure of international football authorities to do the decent thing and ban Israel from international competition. Let me add, again, I am not anti-Semitic. I am anti-Israeli aggression.

Coleman was eloquent and honest in his contribution. He placed the onus on his employers to deal with the difficult situation of the upcoming Israel game. The FAI had placed the footballers in an invidious situation. It was their job, not the players, to answer questions.

Players, especially younger players hoping for an international future, should not be placed in the position of having to decide. The decision should be taken off their shoulders. Coleman in correct. He was clear. There was no hemming and hawing. It is up to the FAI.

Now, not to take anything from Seamus Coleman’s courageous comments, but, at the risk of being flippant, I would suggest he should have a career in politics. If Micheál Martin was watching that interview it would not surprise me that he might approach Seamus to stand in Donegal in the next general election. Seamus, standing in Donegal, would strike fear into the Shinners and give them something concrete (no pyrite!) to think about. But then it is unlikely that Micheál Martin will be Fianna Fáil leader when the next general election comes around.

FAI decision 

The decision about where the return game against Israel will be played has finally (sort of!) been announced. The game will not be played in Dublin but at an as yet unnamed venue and behind closed doors. The players have made their views known and public opinion in Ireland is opposed to the fixture taking place because of the ongoing slaughter in Gaza and southern Lebanon, not to mention Iran where, with Trump’s support, Israel is the instigator of the destruction of an independent state.

Because public opinion is opposed, there was a genuine fear that the Dublin fixture would turn into an opportunity for riots. Throwing tennis balls onto the pitch during the Qatar game may have appeared childish, but it sent a message. Our Pontius Pilate government has washed its hands of anything to do with the fixture saying it is a matter for the FAI. The game was due to take place smack bang in the middle of the Irish EU presidency. The government is aware that the fixture would require an unprecedented security operation to ensure it went ahead.

Peaceful protest is a wonderful concept and there was a time when people could take to the streets in their thousands and nobody would feel the need to pick up a brick and hurl it at the Gardaí on security duty. Nobody would feel the need to set fire to a bus or wreak havoc on property. But that day is long gone.

We need only to look at the recent fuel protests, or the anti-migrant protests in Belfast and the mini riot in Dublin three years ago. There are people out there, whether they be from the far left, the far right or the increasingly disturbed and squeezed middle ground, who are not averse to throwing fuel on a fire. Anyone who thinks that the Israel game in the Aviva could pass without incident is not living in the real world.

In fairness, the FAI found themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place. According to the Association, if they failed to fulfil the Israel fixture there would be a serious financial implication not to mention the possibility of being ostracised by UEFA and denied competition in the future.

There was, of course, another option and one that might well have rebounded to the credit of the FAI. They could have refused to play the fixture and accepted the UEFA punishment. It seems to me that UEFA are not in a position to issue threats and, more particularly, not in a position to issue punishment.

UEFA are the dog in the manger here. It was their decision to take, in view of the ongoing genocide, to ban Israel from participating in the Euros. They did not have the courage to do so and the farce that is now Ireland v Israel has to be played out behind closed doors and with the inevitable result that neither team will qualify for the closing stages of this increasingly unimportant competition. The lives of the 70,000 children, women and men killed in Gaza is of no consequence compared to the need to fulfil football fixtures.

The World Cup

And so to the real world of World Cup football. Forget about Trump and Infantino and the hype about tickets costing $10,000, forget about Shakira who, according to accounts, was the star turn on the opening night and concentrate on the football. That’s what I decided to do and tuned in to the opening game which saw hosts (one of three) Mexico take on South Africa.

Mexico would often be mentioned in commentary as a team with the potential to lift the World Cup. Soccer is their major sporting activity and they produce top quality players. South Africa would rarely be mentioned as potential winners (unless it was at rugby!) but I was expecting to see an interesting game.

I have to say I was disappointed. I did not see the opening goal of the World Cup because I had drifted off somewhere else. The football was pedestrian, the camera work was diabolical and the outcome inevitable. Mexico ended up winning by two goals. The Mexican fans did not seem that greatly invested in their team, there was no great enthusiasm and I have to admit I did not see the game through to the end. I went to bed.

There are 48 teams qualified for the World Cup finals. Probably ten have a realistic chance of getting to the last four. RTÉ will put you through all the excruciating nonsense of preliminary rounds and will try to generate enthusiasm for fare that will be as dull as ditch water and not until they get to the last eight will there be real competition. Infantino will hail the tournament as a huge success and everyone will go home. Happy?

Does it not remind you of something closer to home? I have made my view clear about the All-Ireland football championship. It is a shambles and people have already lost interest. Mayo, having been beaten by Roscommon, continue to contest. I have come to the defence of the GAA when I hear people refer to the outfit as the Grab All Association but I fear there is growing truth in the accusation. The GAA has nothing to learn from Infantino. Indeed, we could teach him a trick or two.