Anti-Israel sentiment in Ireland is not new, making the following development particularly notable: a soccer club chair and member of parliament has been removed from her position after calling for a boycott of Israel’s national team.
The official is Joanna Byrne, who until Monday served as co-chair of Drogheda United. In a statement, the club’s American ownership group, Trivela Group, confirmed that she has stepped down from her role.
The move follows a public dispute between the sides after Byrne spoke out against the scheduled Nations League matches between Israel and Ireland. Byrne said she was “angry and disappointed” by the decision to hold the games on September 27 and October 4, adding that “Israel should not be in the competition.”
Initially, Byrne refused to resign from her positions as co-chair and director after being asked to do so by the owners. When she declined, they moved to remove her.
In a subsequent statement, the owners confirmed her dismissal: “In accordance with its authority as the club’s sole shareholder, Joanna Byrne has been removed from her role as a director. We believe in the need to separate sport from politics and see this as a critical value for the continued development of the club.” The club thanked Byrne for her “many years of contribution to the club and its success.”
In response, Byrne criticized the owners’ conduct in a letter to fans. “The past few weeks have been difficult for me, but I acted with full integrity for the good of the club," she wrote. "In contrast, Trivela’s move was cold and calculated, carried out in secrecy and without any consultation with me — and this characterizes the way they run their business. The decision to remove me is an attempt to silence me by foreign owners who do not understand the local community.”
First published: 06:47, 03.24.26