Protest planned over basketball fixture against Israel

The Irish Sport for Palestine group will hold a protest outside the National Basketball Arena in Dublin on Sunday after heavily criticising Basketball Ireland’s decision to fulfil their fixture against Israel in a FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 qualifier next month.

The game was supposed to take place in Israel back in November, but was postponed until 8 February due to security concerns caused by the ongoing conflict in the region.

Basketball Ireland requested the game takes place at a neutral venue, with Riga in Latvia selected.

Earlier this month the association issued a statement saying: “Basketball Ireland will be fulfilling our Group E fixture [against Israel], as forfeiting the game would lead to a very significant fine from FIBA Europe and could put at serious risk our participation in the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers and exclusion from the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers.

“Other sporting entities have continued to participate in fixtures with Israel, something which Taoiseach Leo Varadkar recently acknowledged.”

In early January, Irish Sport for Palestine released an open letter calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. It was signed by over 200 members of the Irish sporting community, including Keith Earls, James McClean, Kevin Moran and Brian Kerr.

On Friday, the group released a statement confirming its intention to hold a protest ahead of the Women’s National Cup final between Catalyst Fr Mathews take on Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell.

“The association’s inexplicable silence in the face of Israel’s brutal genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza is in stark contrast to their reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” a statement read.

“In May 2022, welcoming the decision to ban Russia and Belarus from international competition, Basketball Ireland CEO John Feehan confirmed that the association had earlier that month written to FIBA [International Basketball Federation].

“In their correspondence, Basketball Ireland stated categorically that Ireland ‘would not fulfil its Women’s EuroBasket 2023 qualifier against Belarus… due to their support of Russia and the ongoing war in Ukraine’.

“Mr Feehan added that their support was ‘supported by the Irish government, Sport Ireland and the Basketball Ireland board’.

“Yet, when it comes to the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people, Basketball Ireland has, inexplicably, nothing to say.”

In response, Basketball Ireland issue a statement to RTÉ Sport which read: “Basketball Ireland has listened to and understands everyone’s views around this fixture, including correspondence from Irish Sport for Palestine and acknowledges any person’s right to a peaceful protest.

“On January 3rd Basketball Ireland issued a public statement on the game with Israel . Basketball Ireland is obliged to fulfil this fixture, as failing to do so will result in a significant fine from FIBA Europe, of €80,000.

“Should we fail to play the additional return fixture in November, Basketball Ireland would be subject to an additional fine of €100,000 from FIBA Europe, and removal from the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 tournament.

“The Irish senior women’s team would also be barred from competing in the next FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, resulting in an effective 5-year ban from competing at international level for our senior women’s team.”