Some politicians have called for Ireland’s upcoming Nations League football game against Israel to be cancelled. Ireland were drawn to play against Israel at home in Dublin this October. The fixture immediately sparked concerns about security and protests. Earlier this year, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) confirmed the game would go ahead after it was told that An Garda Síochána believed it could deliver a “safe and secure” environment for the match. Newly elected Social Democrats TD Daniel Ennis, who is a former League of Ireland player, said he does not believe the game should go ahead. “We shouldn’t be playing that game, we simply shouldn’t be playing it ... The FAI should be taking a stand and our Irish Government should be taking a stand on that,” Ennis said. “Football and sport is a universal language built on respect. And how can you stand shoulder to shoulder and line up against a genocidal regime like that?”The fixture is confirmed for October 4th at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Ennis said it was a “tough one” for players who are expected to participate in the game.[ FAI members unhappy over Ireland v Israel can still stop the games. A legal adviser explains howOpens in new window ]“I have friends who are former internationals and it’s a very, very proud achievement – a moment to play and be selected by a country. Your governing body, your sporting governing body should be stepping in and in that case it’s the FAI. And that should be supported by the Government.” Asked if fans should boycott the match, Ennis said: “Absolutely.” Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger said rather than a boycott by fans her “preference” would be that the game is stopped from going ahead in the first place. Coppinger said she would call on workers, for example airport and hotel workers, to take strike action – “like happened with the Dunnes Stores strike against apartheid,” she said. “If it does happen that [the Israeli team and supporters] do get into the country ... on the day itself, we should surround the Aviva Stadium and stop this match from happening.” Her colleague Richard Boyd Barrett said he believed that “very few” fans would plan to attend the game.Coppinger added: “We are putting this on the Government and the FAI, not on fans or anybody else.”