Ireland will play Israel twice in the coming weeks, despite widely articulated concern and protest over the fixtures. Niall Kelly and Sinead O’Carroll discuss the background to these games, how they came about, and why they will go ahead despite the misgivings of many supporters.

The pair discuss previous stories that have been at the intersection of sport and news and politics and explain why this is by far the most contentious in recent decades.

With Uefa, the FAI and Irish government opting against making a stand or ruling on the fixtures, the responsibility for protest has cascaded down to the players. We ask if it is fair or realistic for a professional footballer to become the face of dissent against these games going ahead and, as a consequence, the highest profile sporting opponent of Israel.

We detail how the media has decided to cover the games, and the policy of The 42 and The Journal.