In the world of sports, the intersection between politics and competition is often an unwelcome spectator. This week, the spotlight falls on Basketball Ireland and CEO, John Feehan, as he doubled down on their decision to play Israel in this week’s FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 Qualifier.
This is the training session the Israeli women's basketball team held with soldiers from the Israeli Army, complete with guns on display, ahead of their clash with Ireland at the weekend.
5 Irish players so far have said they will boycott the fixture. Any comment @BballIrl ? pic.twitter.com/e7QOi1poCO
— Markie 🇮🇪 (@MarkAgitprop) February 6, 2024
“The game has received a high degree of publicity due to the opposition we face on Thursday and the strength of feeling around the fixture,” Feehan said.
“As we have previously stated, we’re all very concerned about events in Gaza and are extremely sympathetic to the dreadful situation that people are having to deal with.
“Basketball Ireland is obliged to play this fixture, because the ramifications of not doing so would be ruinous to the women’s international programme, as boycotting these games with Israel would lead to huge fines from FIBA of up to €180,000, along with an effective five-year ban for the team.
“I’d like to praise James Weldon, his staff and the players who’ve had to deal with off-court issues in the lead-up, but remain focused on putting in a performance on Thursday, as they target a win.”
Basketball Ireland finds itself caught in the crossfire. FIBA rules hang over the decision like a Damocles' sword, threatening fines and suspensions if Ireland refuse to play. Feehan's concern about a potential five-year ban, affecting both the men's and women's national teams, underscores the gravity of the situation. Should the decision be left to Basketball Ireland or should this be for FIBA to make a ruling on?
But is it just sport and optics at play? The optics, certainly, are loaded. Ahead of Thursday's match against Ireland, the Israeli basketball team have been pictured with armed IDF soldiers, throwing gasoline on the and blurring the lines between sports and politics.
🇵🇸 “With great privilege comes great responsibility. Basketball Ireland has the opportunity to do the right thing by not fulfilling the upcoming fixture against Israel. Sports boycotts work.” - Michael Darragh MacAuley@MDMA_9 @BballIrl pic.twitter.com/gABmbhLQBF
— Irish Sport for Palestine (@Sport4Palestine) February 4, 2024
Five Irish players have chosen to boycott the match and have not travel to Latvia, where the game will be held behind closed doors, over their uneasiness over the encounter. The fixture was originally to be played in Israel last November but was subsequently postponed following the outbreak of the conflict.
Israel is in Group 5 of the European Championship qualifiers, alongside France, Latvia and Ireland.
In November 2024, Israel will play two games against France and Ireland and next year, in February 2025, they are expected to host Latvia and France. The team that finishes first in this group, along with the four best runners-up from the eight groups, will qualify for the European Championship, which will take place in the summer of 2025.
When the dust settles, accusations of "sports-washing Israeli genocide" will continue to echo in the basketball arena, portraying Basketball Ireland as complicit. The question will remain, is this a decision Basketball Ireland should make themselves or should it be put upon FIBA to make the ruling.
