🇮🇪 Ireland News

"It's not about football": Ireland, Israel and a game that can't be won

It’s been seven turbulent months since it was confirmed that the Republic of Ireland would face Israel in the Uefa Nations League. What began as a football fixture has since become one of the most divisive and politically charged moments in Irish sporting history. Since the draw was announced in February, protests, campaigns and fierce public debate have intensified, with pressure mounting on all sides. Just days ago, Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson sparked anger in Israel after saying his team would not be playing “with genocide, but against genocide” when the sides meet in Hungary on Sunday. The controversy has also reached the players themselves as protesters gathered outside the squad’s training base in Castleknock this week, urging the team not to fulfil the fixture. Despite the growing scrutiny, the match is set to go ahead, albeit with a significantly scaled-back television broadcast. So, have the Ireland players been placed in an impossible position? And what can supporters expect when the teams finally take to the pitch? I’m Tessa Fleming, and today on the Indo Daily, I’m joined by Irish Independent soccer correspondent Daniel McDonnell and multimedia reporter Darragh Nolan to discuss the fixture that has become about far more than just football.

independent.ie · sports en

Football vs jetlag | Who is the Mayo of the NFL? | Super Bowl favourites | Hockey's coaching scandal | US Sports Roundtable

Ronan, Will & Shane reassble the US Sports Roundtable as the NFL season starts to take shape. Renowned journalist and broadcaster Mike Carlson is also on hand to give his sense of the early runners and riders. If you'd like to get in touch with the show, email us at indosportpodcast@independent.ie ✉️You can subscribe to our dedicated Indo Sport YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/@IndoSportPodcast 📹

independent.ie · sports en

The manosphere influencer, the heroin dealer and the Dublin football club

If you watched Louis Theroux’s documentary on the manosphere earlier this year, you should be familiar with a man by the name of Harrison Sullivan, or ‘HSTikkyTokky’ as he’s better known to his hundreds of thousands of online followers. Sullivan found himself in Dublin recently, hastily rescheduling a boxing event after his original choice of venue – the grounds of Dublin football club Bluebell United FC – abruptly cancelled the booking. Bluebell United has a long history, but recent events have placed it under a stark spotlight. In the past two years, the club has found itself linked to figures involved in drug dealing, debt judgements, an ownership switch and indeed – however briefly – the ever-controversial manosphere. On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Crime World journalists Alan Sherry and Neil Fetherstonhaugh to look at the curious case of Bluebell United. The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can see our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism

independent.ie · sports en