RTE Sports pundit supports cancelling upcoming matches between Ireland and Israel

"Action of some kind is surely required," remarked Irish football pundit Richie Sadlier on RTE Sports on Thursday, after fans protested against Ireland's upcoming matches against Israel in September and October. During the friendly between Ireland and Qatar at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch with messages reading "stop the game," protesting the upcoming UEFA Nation's League fixtures, the first of which due to take place in Dublin in September. Sadlier supported calls to cancel the matches, highlighting Israel's "genocidal campaign" in Gaza and the need for stronger action. His fellow commentator Stephen Kelly added that the protests would continue, saying it is likely that the games will happen "behind closed doors" in order to manage the backlash. Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that Ireland can't be "self-defeating," acknowledging the desire to cancel the game but saying that it should go ahead so as not to "damage ourselves unnecessarily". Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0fZh5SBxxMNYdg0VzRFkg/join Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at [email protected] Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEye Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEye Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye