RTE has announced it will air the Nations League fixture between Ireland and Israel if it proceeds. According to RTE, this decision is based on its legal obligations to broadcast the match and to support Ireland's national team. ' The broadcaster emphasized that decisions regarding participation by Ireland's national soccer team are the responsibility of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), and broadcast decisions depend on the national sporting body.
The FAI has said the Ireland team will play the matches, with one scheduled for October 4 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. There has been political focus on the matches, with former football manager Brian Kerr among those calling for a boycott. Social Democrats TD Sinead Gibney had written to RTE to ask it not to broadcast either match.
If the match goes ahead – and that is a decision for the FAI as the relevant national sporting body – RTE will broadcast it in line with its contractual and therefore binding legal obligations and of course our overall commitment to supporting Ireland’s national teams.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the matches should go ahead, while Irish deputy premier Simon Harris warned that RTE may face legal difficulty if it did not broadcast. RTE noted its decision differs from its Eurovision boycott, explaining that for Eurovision, national public service broadcasters operate the selection process, allowing independent decisions on participation and broadcasting.