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The Irish Sun

Basketball Ireland ‘extremely alarmed' and ‘assessing next steps' after being drawn against Israel for Euro qualifiers

BASKETBALL IRELAND revealed it was "assessing our next steps" after being drawn against Israel for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers. travel to face Advertisement However, that fixture has been cast into doubt after The statement read: "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 "Basketball Ireland have spoken to FIBA "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." Advertisement Read More on Basketball The possibility of Ireland boycotting the games against Israel in protest is not certain as the governing body revealed the potential financial implications. The statement continued: "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. "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. Advertisement Most read in Other Sports "FIBA Europe rules state that they "may impose addition 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 .'" Controversy surrounded a game between Ireland and Israel in February 2024 when there were calls for them to boycott the fixture in response to the conflict in the occupied Palestinian territory. Portland Fire Returns: WNBA Expansion Fueled by the Caitlin Clark Effect They refused citing fears of punishment from FIBA that could have included a five-year ban from international basketball. The Irish Government backed Basketball Ireland's position. Advertisement However, the players themselves refused to take part in pre-match formalities after an Israeli player allegedly slurred Ireland by wrongly calling them "anti-Semitic". Basketball Ireland later described the comments as "inflammatory and wholly inaccurate" in a statement to The Irish Independent. And the association said the remarks had been raised with FIBA, the international basketball federation. 1 Sarah Hickey of Ireland in action against Daniel Karsh of Israel Credit: Oksana Dzadan/Sportsfile Advertisement