62. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport in view of Ministers' comments that they will not attend the Ireland v Israel Nations League fixtures, if he will call for a boycott of these fixtures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43392/26]

Sentiment score: -0.10

The Minister of State will appreciate these questions were submitted before the recess and before the Government's shameful response to the two Private Members' motions on the Ireland and Israel fixtures this week. In spite of that, a response is warranted from the Minister of State to the Irish football community and Irish footballers as to why it is okay for him and the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, to publicly state they will not attend these fixtures, yet they will shoulder that burden onto our footballers and ask them to choose between what is right and wrong, and lining out for their country and playing the game they love.

Sentiment score: -0.24

I am delighted the Minister of State has learned a new word since Tuesday night-Wednesday morning. In the response which the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, gave to me on Tuesday night and which was carbon-copied by the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, on Wednesday morning, the word "genocide" never featured at all. It is great that he has learned that word in the past two days. Even though he has now acknowledged there is a genocide and obviously understands what a genocide is, he still cannot grasp the magnitude of what this means to the Irish footballing community. They do not want this match to proceed. They do not want to normalise sports-washing. Ireland playing Israel normalises a genocidal regime and gives cover for statute violations, for apartheid and for war crimes. In standing up and saying he will not attend these fixtures all he is doing is putting that pressure and that burden on our footballers. Inevitably, if this goes ahead, our footballers will have to make a conscious choice individually or collectively as a team as whether they should fulfil this fixture and it is not fair. The Minister of State had an opportunity this week to empower the FAI and to support the FAI. So, I do not buy all this back tapping for the FAI. The Minister of State had an opportunity to stand with the FAI, to stand with Irish football and to stand with our Irish football team but he chose not to. Shame on him.

Sentiment score: -0.01

You did not do so this week.

Sentiment score: 0.00

History, including his own party’s history, is lost on the Minister of State. There is a precedent in this State of us taking a stand when it comes to sport. It is wrong for him to stand there and tell me that it is unprecedented. That is factually incorrect. He is a Fianna Fáil Member and he should know this. He should talk to his previous Taoiseach. There is absolutely no justification for it. What he is saying this morning, what he said on Tuesday night and the script he handed to his colleague to say to Deputy Gibney on Wednesday morning is absolutely shameful and there is no justification for it. I think deep down he knows that because otherwise he would not have sat at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on sport to say he would not attend these fixtures but yet he expects our national team to line out and attend them. It is shocking and absolutely shameful. He is going down the wrong side of history on this.

Sentiment score: -0.28

The Minister of State is deflecting-----

Sentiment score: 0.00

----- from the stop-the-game question that I specifically put to him on Tuesday night.

Sentiment score: 0.00

It is taking a stand through sport.

Sentiment score: 0.00

What about harmony?

Sentiment score: 0.40