Nolan tells Dáil debate on Ireland-Israel games that sport "isn't a political battlefield"
Offaly TD Carol Nolan opted not to back Dáil motions lobbying for the Irish soccer team's Nations League fixtures with Israel to be called off, arguing that sport shouldn't be "a political battlefield".
At Leinster House this week, Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats both tabled motions urging the Government to support calls for the home and away fixtures against Israel, scheduled for September 27 and October 4, not to be played.
The Government countered with an amendment which stated that decisions around fixtures were a matter for the FAI. When the motions were voted upon, the Government's amendment was carried, ahead of the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin motions, in each case by a margin of 81 votes to 68.
Among the three Offaly TDs, Fine Gael's John Clendennen and Fianna Fáil's Tony McCormack both voted with the Government, while no vote was officially recorded for Deputy Nolan.
The Independent TD did address the house in Tuesday, when it debated the Sinn Féin motion on the 'Stop the Game campaign and FAI participation in Matches against Israel'.
She said she was supporting a proposed amendment from the Independent Ireland party which sought to separate politics from sport.
The Offaly TD said she recognised the "grave humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza and the continuing "heartbreaking loss of innocent civilian life" there.
"I also unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism, violence and attacks on citizens and civilians, wherever they occur, such as the barbaric attack by Hamas when innocent men and women were murdered at a music festival. That was particularly sickening and should not have happened either," she said.
On the issue of the Ireland-Israel fixtures, she said sport should be "depoliticised as much as possible" and suggested that not playing the games would be tantamount to "punishing" the Irish players for something beyond their control.
"Irish sportspeople, men and women who have given years of dedication, sacrifice and discipline to represent this country, should not be punished or dragged into international disputes that are far beyond their control," said Deputy Nolan.
"There is also a glaring moral contradiction at the heart of this debate. We are told that playing against Israel is somehow unconscionable.
"However, Ireland happily competes against Qatar, whose human rights record includes the exploitation of migrant workers, the denial of basic freedoms and appalling records on women's rights, religious freedoms and political repression, all of which are synonymous with that country.
"The selective outrage directed as Israel, and only Israel, undermines the credibility of those demanding a boycott."
She added that the Dáil had spent "a disproportionate amount of time" discussing Gaza while "urgent domestic issues" such as housing, health and the cost of living "receive far less attention".
"Irish citizens watching these debates must wonder why Gaza dominates the agenda here, when families in their own communities cannot find a home," she said.
The Offaly representative stated that decisions on fixtures and tournament participation were "matters for UEFA and the international sporting bodies" and should not lead to "unilateral grandstanding by the Irish Government".
"Sport should be a source of national unity and pride, not a vehicle for political activism," she concluded.
The Sinn Féin motion called on the FAI to refuse to participate in the games against Israel "on legal and moral grounds", while the Social Democrats said Irish sporting bodies should "boycott fixtures, events, and competitions, where Israel is competing, as long as the genocide and illegal occupation continues".
The Government amendment, which was carried, stated that the FAI and other sporting bodies were "independent, autonomous bodies responsible for the governance of their own sports, including the organisation of sporting fixtures, whether in domestic or international competitions".