I take this opportunity to thank the Minister of State for reading, word for word, what is already on the Official Record of the Dáil. It is a bit of an insult to everybody involved here this morning that this is pretty much the exact same speech we have heard very recently. The Fine Gael Minister for sport, Deputy Patrick O’Donovan, has told us that sport and politics should not mix. That same Minister for sport, who demands an invitation to the opening of an envelope in every sports club, has the cheek to tell us that sport and politics should not meet. That same Minister for sport, who threatened League of Ireland clubs with a funding freeze because of the actions of a small group of people, tells us that sport and politics should not mix. That same Minister for sport, who directly intervened to ensure that the FAI would appear before an Oireachtas committee last year, tells us that sport and politics should not meet. That same Minister for sport, who has told us he will not attend the game, but that the game should go ahead, tells us that sport and politics should not mix. Quite frankly, what a farcical situation we find ourselves in. The political cowardice on show in this House on this issue is utterly shameful. Where is this Government’s bravery? Where are its values, the very principles that should underpin its politics? The principles I see are to blame everybody else and take no responsibility or action for yourselves. It is FIFA's fault, it is UEFA's fault, and it is the FAI's fault. My worry is who is next for the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan. It will be the players' fault. It will be Heimir Hallgrímsson's fault. It will be the fans' fault. It will be everybody's fault but the Minister's. Just stop the game. Of course, sport is political. Open any history book and you will find swathes of examples of the relationship between sport and politics, so we know this rhetoric from this Government will not cut it. A neutral venue for this game is not the answer. What the Government has done is back the squad into a corner. The Government is backing the management and the players - the professionals - into making a decision. These elite athletes who so desperately require elite political representation instead get left with political amateurism, inaction and cowardice. Stop the game because what a sad day it is if it is left up to these players or staff to boycott. That is a position they should not find themselves in. Doing the right thing is not always easy but at least for us it is our job. It is not their job. That is why we are here. While this Minister and this Government continue to cherry-pick the times when politics and sport should collide, we should acknowledge the undeniable intersectionality between them. It is only June. As the momentum builds behind this campaign, and those who play football or simply love Irish football are forced to be substitutes for those charged with making tough political decisions, we will be back here. I believe this Government will collectively rue the day it could have stood with the majority of people in Ireland and said, "Stop the game." I commend Deputy Gibney on her work on this and ask the Minister of State to consider withdrawing that amendment.

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