Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has slammed Robbie Keane for his decision to stay in charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The former Ireland striker moved to Tel Aviv earlier this year, taking over as manager of the Israeli Premier League's most successful club off the back of a disappointing 2022-23 season.
Keane's decision to take work in Israel came in for heavy criticism when he first took the job, and made clear that he was not willing to engage in any political discussions at his unveiling as manager:
I don't want to get into politics. This is the last time I will say it, I certainly don't want to get into politics. I'm here as a football man and someone that loves the game, so I will certainly just focus on that but thanks for your question.
The animosity towards the Irish football legend has only grown with the ever-worsening conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza.
Sinn Féin president McDonald was asked to comment on Keane's continued presence in Tel Aviv during an interview with the Irish Examiner, and slammed the ex-footballer, saying that "sport and genocide shouldn't mix."
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Mary Lou McDonald slates Robbie Keane for continuing to manage in Israel
Mary Lou McDonald suggested that a similar response was required to Israel's ongoing military actions as was necessary during the South African apartheid in the late 20th century.
McDonald was unequivocal in slamming Robbie Keane for continuing to work for an Israeli club even after the escalation of the conflict with Hamas, and said that there was an onus on sports people to be role models during crises such as these:
I don't think he has [made the right decision].
I know some people say sport and politics shouldn't mix, but I would say sport and genocide shouldn't mix.
I think sport should be a force for good, for human capacity and human excellence and enjoyment and participation. I have a real problem with sport when it is under the remit of an apartheid regime and where genocide is being committed.
I know lots and lots of sportspeople in Ireland and beyond have taken an incredibly firm stand on the Palestinian question, just as lots of sporting people did - and I'm thinking our rugby team, rugby players in particular - in respect of apartheid South Africa.
I think leaders have to lead in times like this and I think sporting people, sporting heroes, have such an influence and such a reach. So I would encourage everybody of influence to make the right calls and the right choices.
The conflict in the region escalated on October 7th after a series of attacks by the Palestinian insurgent group Hamas against Israeli targets led to an immense retaliation from Israeli forces.
Since those attacks, almost 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, with at least another 28 dead on Tuesday in renewed attacks from Israel on a hospital in north Gaza and airstrikes in the south. Nearly 1,500 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.
Robbie Keane has continued to work as Maccabi Tel Aviv manager throughout the recent conflict. Initially, Keane and other team staff were evacuated from the city and fled to Greece in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack.
The Israeli Premier League resumed earlier this month, and Maccabi have reached the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League in the weeks since the escalation of fighting in the region. When returning to take charge for the first time since the events of October 7, Keane refused to engage with questions surrounding the ongoing conflict.
Keane previously worked under Mick McCarthy as an assistant coach with the Ireland national team and had separate stints as an assistant coach at both Middlesbrough and Leeds. He briefly served as a coach with Shamrock Rovers before moving into management.
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