Bernard O'Byrne calls for ‘immediate total suspension of Israel' from all European basketball competitions
O'Byrne is currently a member of the 25-person Fiba (International Basketball Federation) Europe board.
His involvement comes after Basketball Ireland last week issued a statement expressing strong concerns over the ongoing crisis in Gaza, adding that it was considering withdrawing from the Fiba Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers after being drawn in a group against Israel.
'The time has come for the Board of FIBA Europe to have a full and open discussion on the future participation of Israel Basketball in our competitions,' it says in O'Byrne's correspondence, dated July 30.
'The Board has been repeatedly told that the matter is under continuous review and that we are obliged to follow the lead of FIBA and indeed the International Olympic Committee.
'The result is that we as a governing body with a major public platform have effectively closed our eyes and passed the responsibility to others.'
According to rule, should Ireland fail to participate in their first away qualifier against Israel, they could be subject to fines of up to €80,000.
Failure to take part in their return fixture against Israel would summon a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the Fiba Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers and the Fiba Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers.
In his letter, O'Byrne clarifies that his views 'do not necessarily represent the views of my nominating federation', (Basketball Ireland), and that they were not consulted in advance of writing.
'This request is not to be construed as anti-Jew or antisemitic in any way,' he writes.
'This is a humanitarian issue for us all and we should not look away. We must ignore the niceties of sporting politics and deference to powerful people or organisations who threaten us.'
O'Byrne, CEO of the FAI between 1996 and 2001, retired as CEO of Basketball Ireland in 2021.
His stepping down was reported as a 'joint decision' between O'Byrne and Basketball Ireland, coming in the wake of a controversial social media post, which he said was an 'extremely ill-judged attempt at humour' and for which he apologised at the time.
Basketball Ireland are understood to be currently considering their options with regard to the game with Israel, scheduled for November 18.
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