Ireland is set to become the first European country to play a soccer match against Palestine in what would be seen as a landmark move.
The Irish soccer team could become the first European team to play a match against Palestine, thanks to the many historic cultural links the two countries possess.
The potential match is being championed by an Irish politician who says it could be a symbolic move similar to when in 1951, Ireland became the first country to host West Germany post-World War II.
Mark Ward − a Sinn Fein Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin Mid-West
Mark Ward is a member of the Irish political party Sinn Fein and is a prominent supporter of the idea of having a soccer match against Palestine in the hopes it will set the ball rolling for more European teams to play against Palestine.
Regarding the significance that an Ireland vs Palestine match could have, Ward said, “There was a bit of international outcry at the time, but Ireland were world leaders then, and they could be again.
“We’ve done it before, we can do it again, but there are also the long historic and cultural links between Palestine and Ireland”.
He continued, “We have both been victims of an occupying force, we have both been victims of borders and land grabs in our own country, and the Irish people have always had this really, really strong connection [with Palestine] because of that”.
Ireland and Palestine – countries with a close relationship
Ireland and Palestine are two countries that have always seemed to possess a close relationship with one another.
The main reason given for this close relationship is that they have both experienced and suffered from occupying forces in their lands, and this has helped to foster solidarity between the Irish and Palestinian people.
In 1980, Ireland made headlines for becoming the first European country to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) formally.
There have recently been ever-increasing calls for Ireland to officially recognise Palestine following a vote in its parliament.
The idea to have a match between Ireland and Palestine originated when Ward visited Palestine last November, which saw him meet Palestinian officials, including members of the FA.
“During that meeting, it came up in conversation that the Palestinian football team had never played any international soccer team in Europe. I think… [this] is quite telling.
“So I [asked], would the Palestinian FA welcome a match against Ireland, and they were very open to the idea,” explained Ward.
Palestine – the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity
Palestine is seen as the birthplace of both Judaism and Christianity and is a country that many different nations and empires have occupied over the centuries.
Since the 19th century, Palestine has essentially found itself in a war with Israel as the birth of many major nationalist movements amongst the Jews and the Arabs concerning attaining sovereignty for their people in the Middle East region have come together in conflict.
While no date for the match has yet been confirmed, it is hoped that the friendly will take place soon, and Ward has contacted the FAI about it.
Members of the Palestinian FA are also set to visit Ireland in August in the hope of chatting with FAI officials about finalising the friendly.
