The Irish football team would be “losing out” if matches against Israel were boycotted, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said. On Saturday, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said Ireland should not play the matches and Israel should be “given the red card”. “We have to recognise, though, when it comes to soccer, and when it comes to the Irish soccer team, not doing anything that would actually disadvantage the team and wouldn’t have any effect at all on Israel. “I just think in this situation, it’s actually the Irish soccer team that would be losing out and the Irish soccer team that would be missing out. “I think we have to have that sort of perspective in relation to this, and we need to get behind our Irish soccer team.”

Source: Irish Examiner February 15, 2026 19:36 UTC