Basketball Ireland ‘assessing steps’ after being drawn against Israel

Basketball Ireland say they are 'extremely alarmed' by Gaza situation

Basketball Ireland say they are "assessing next steps" after being drawn to play Israel in the upcoming FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers.

The body released a statement on Wednesday to say they are “extremely alarmed’ by the ongoing situation in Gaza, and outlined the fines they would be facing if they failed to play against Israel.

Their first match with Israel, away from home, is in November.

They said in a statement: “Basketball Ireland is extremely alarmed by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and as such we are assessing our next steps following today’s FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers draw, which saw Ireland drawn in Group A alongside Israel, in addition to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Luxembourg.

"Basketball Ireland have spoken to FIBA Europe subsequently and are awaiting clarifications on a number of matters. Basketball Ireland will also be liaising with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, the Government, and other stakeholders over the coming days and we will provide an update next week.

"Ireland are due to begin their FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign with back-to-back home games against Luxembourg on November 12^th, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina on November 15^th, before an away game against Israel on November 18^th.

"Upon commencement of the competition, Basketball Ireland would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel, while failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers.

"Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied, while FIBA Europe rules state that they “may impose additional sanctions according to the FIBA Internal Regulations - Book 1 - General Provisions (Chapter 6)”, which includes ‘disqualification from a competition in progress and/or exclusion from future competitions’.

History repeating itself?

When the sides faced each other in February 2024, Ireland refused to shake hands with Israel and stood at the side of the court when the national anthems were heard. 

Ireland players had again raised concerns before that match, with Israel player Dor Saar accusing the Ireland team of being “quite anti-Semitic”.

FIBA warned Ireland for the protest, and when the sides faced each other again in November 2024, they did shake hands.