MEDIA AND SPORTS Minister Patrick O’Donovan has been accused of deflection after he suggested today that Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger may be a supporter of the Taliban. 

Coppinger, a self-proclaimed feminist, hit back at the minister and pointed out that she has submitted multiple parliamentary questions in relation to human rights abuses by the Taliban in Afghanistan. 

O’Donovan made the comment earlier today in relation to the ongoing focus on the Football Association of Ireland (FAI)’s decision to fulfil the Nations League fixtures against Israel despite the genocide in Gaza.

Speaking to reporters in Bray, Wicklow this morning, O’Donovan said the FAI deserves sympathy over its handling of the fixtures. 

It was put to him that Coppinger last night called for the board and chief executive of the FAI to resign over its “shambolic, arrogant, and incompetent” dealing with the fixtures.

O’Donovan accused the opposition of “speaking out of both sides of its mouth” on the issue and said it is very easy for politicians to “take potshots” at the FAI. 

On Coppinger specifically, he said: 

“I didn’t see the same politician say anything with regard to Ireland playing Afghanistan in cricket, and maybe she’s pro-Afghanistan and pro-Taliban.”

Women in Afghanistan have been banned from sports since the Taliban regained control in 2021. Since then, Ireland’s men’s cricket team have played multiple fixtures against the Afghanistan men’s team.

Responding to the minister’s remarks, Coppinger told The Journal that they were “an awful attempt to deflect by the minister”.

She noted that she has raised the issue of the Afghanistan cricket games via a parliamentary question (PQ) to O’Donovan himself in July 2026, but it was deemed not to be the responsibility of the minister by the leas ceann comhairle.

Coppinger also submitted a PQ to Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee earlier in July, seeking the minister’s position on the human rights abuses by the Taliban in Afghanistan and asking for details on humanitarian aid provided by Ireland. 

“I think everyone knows my long struggles on women’s rights,” Coppinger said.

“The reality is the minister has disgracefully justified and indeed pushed this football fixture with Israel.”

She added that the sports minister has been “abysmal” throughout “making silly comments about sports and politics not mixing” and trying to “normalise this fixture but then hypocritically not attending himself”.

“Shameful,” Coppinger said. 

Asked if the minister wished to apologise for suggesting Coppinger may be “pro-Taliban” a spokesperson for O’Donovan told The Journal this evening: “The minister is not available for comment”.