"They say sport and politics don't mix. Last week's draw placing Ireland alongside the Israel national football team in the UEFA Nations League has been greeted with a shrug from officialdom."
"It is, we are assured, just sport. The away leg on September 27. The return fixture on October 4. Ninety minutes, a whistle, a handshake. Move along now."
A UEFA Nations League draw has placed Ireland alongside the Israel national football team, provoking moral outrage that officials have largely shrugged off. Officials and authorities present the fixtures as purely sporting events and emphasize standard procedures: an away leg on September 27 and a return fixture on October 4. The framing reduces the encounter to a brief sporting contest — ninety minutes, a whistle, and a handshake — and signals an expectation to move on without substantive political or moral confrontation. The response reflects a prioritization of sporting routines over expressed ethical concerns.
Read at Independent
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