Basketball Eire says it’s “assessing subsequent steps” after being drawn with Israel in a European qualifier.
Eire are set to face Israel, together with Luxembourg and Bosnia-Herzegovina, in 2027 EuroBasket qualifying in November.
Basketball Eire says it has spoken to Fiba Europe, European basketball’s governing physique, and is “extraordinarily alarmed by the continued humanitarian scenario in Gaza” and is awaiting “clarifications on a lot of issues”.
It additionally says it would liaise with gamers, employees, the Irish authorities and different stakeholders.
In an announcement launched on Wednesday, exterior, Basketball Eire says it might be fined 80,000 euros if it doesn’t fulfil the fixture on 18 November, and would face a further 100,000 euro tremendous if it didn’t take part within the return fixture.
It says Eire would even be faraway from qualifying and be banned from the 2029 EuroBasket qualifiers.
A 30,000 euro tremendous could be imposed if Eire elected to withdraw from qualifying earlier than it begins, however Fiba Europe would possibly impose further sanctions and has the facility to exclude groups from future competitions.
Qualifying is ready to happen over two home windows in November 2025 and March 2026.
It isn’t the primary time Eire have been drawn to face Israel for the reason that ongoing battle in Gaza began in October 2023.
Eire refused to shake palms with Israel and stood along with the courtroom for the nationwide anthems in a 2025 EuroBasket qualifier in February 2024.
When Irish gamers raised issues earlier than that qualifier, Israel participant Dor Saar mentioned the Eire workforce was “fairly antisemitic”.
Israel coach Sharon Drucker additionally mentioned Eire “didn’t respect” what the sport symbolises, whereas Basketball Eire mentioned Saar’s feedback had been “inflammatory and wholly inaccurate”, and reported the remarks to European basketball’s governing physique Fiba Europe.
Eire had been warned by Fiba for his or her protest, and gamers stood for the anthems on courtroom and shook palms with Israel’s gamers in a second EuroBasket qualifier between the perimeters in Riga in November.
Fiba have been contacted about Basketball Eire’s assertion.
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