As the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland unfolded on our screens over the week-end, there were tears and cheers. Kerry, I’m grieved to report, ended up beating a valiant Tyrone team, but that aside, the GAA football was a delight for the eyes.
The FAI wasn’t playing at the weekend, but there was much rejoicing in its ranks too, over the performance of Cape Verde in the World Cup. That’s because one of their stand-out defenders, Robert ‘Pico’Lopes, helped that tiny country to the knock-out stages. And him born and reared in Ireland! So although Republic of Ireland didn’t make it to the World Cup, soccer fans south and north too had at least one triumph to celebrate.
But while the GAA and the FAI have reason to rejoice, they also have a much bigger reason to hang their heads in shame. The FAI yesterday announced that their match against Israel will be played not at the Aviva stadium but at a neutral venue overseas. So that’s how much the FAI wants to do in solidarity with the tens of thousands of defenceless Palestinians slaughtered by Israel: they’ll play Israel abroad. Take a bow, FAI, so we can kick your arse from behind.
As for the GAA, plastered all over our screens as we watched the weekend games was the name of the Championship’s sponsor, Allianz Insurance, with cutesy clips of young boys and girls being able to play their games,thanks to the support ofAllianz. That’s Allianz which insures and invests in Ebit Systems, making it possible for the Israeli weapons firm to operate in Britain.
Many clubs and individuals condemned Allianz’s connection with the GAA, and even the GAA President Jarlath Burns said it had cost him a lot of sleepless nights, Unfortunately,he went on, cutting ties with Allianz might have meant other sponsors might have been hard to find – it could have made the GAA ‘toxic’. There would also have been ‘significant disruption to GAA clubs”,and the overall financial impact would have been severe.
Faced with a choice between money and principle, both codes opted greedily for money.
Are there no people left in either organisation prepared to raise their head and roar “Not in my name, you shameless bunch of ethical morons!”
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