by Rebecca O’Keeffe
The Palestinian women’s national football team played a historic friendly match against Irish club Bohemian F.C. in Dublin on May 15th, 2024 in commemoration of the Nakba. This piece was written for the limited edition match programme.
At the heart of sport lies the principle of sportsmanship. A simple yet profound ethos that underscores the ordinary act of playing a game, a commitment to fairness and respect demonstrated most visibly by shaking hands and acknowledging your opponent with dignity—in victory or defeat.
This friendly match between the Palestinian women’s national team and Bohemian F.C. gives that ordinary act of sportsmanship an extraordinary significance. Today’s game, poignantly coinciding with the 76th anniversary of the Nakba (the 1948 “catastrophe” where Palestinians were subjected to ethnic cleansing, dispossession, and mass displacement), is more than just a game; it is a reminder of what should be ordinary but too often is not. The simple act of playing a game becomes a powerful symbol of the normalcy that is denied to Palestinians in their homeland—where the Nabka never really ended, as the tragedy of the current genocide highlights.
Today on the pitch, the ethics of sportsmanship dictate that all players are equal, that everyone is bound by the same rules in a fair competition. Today in Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinians face a reality where fairness and equality are non-existent, and every day is a struggle against an occupation where the rules are designed to deny them their very existence. This match acts as a canvas upon which the broader issues of occupation, oppression, displacement, apartheid and genocide are vividly illustrated, and emphasise the need for a world where the principles of sportsmanship extend beyond the game—a world where fairness, equality, and basic human dignity are as normal as a sporting handshake.
Israel’s attempts at erasing Palestinian life and identity are relentless, manifesting as unimaginable human cost, profound collective trauma, mass displacement, destruction of infrastructure and the devastation of cultural and academic heritage. The realm of sports has not been spared either, with the decimation of athletic facilities; stadia being converted into mass detention centres; the continued massacres of Palestinian athletes and coaches; and the weaponisation of Zionist propaganda in international sporting events. Even long before the current genocide, Palestinians faced systematic attacks on their sports clubs; targeted abuse and restricted movement of athletes; and repeated devastation of infrastructure—all of which have historically denied Palestinian athletes a level playing field.
There are those who will argue politics has no place in sports, as if the playing field exists in a vacuum, as if sporting bodies have no history of participation in political boycotts against nations that offend the virtues of sportsmanship on a global stage. The international boycott of apartheid South Africa and the swift exclusion of Russia and Belarus by these sporting bodies sit in stark contrast to their current silence and inaction regarding Israel’s egregious violations.
Perhaps then, it is sports that should have a place in politics. When the players take to the pitch today, praise their normal acts of sportsmanship as powerful symbols of the values and standards we demand of our governments and international sporting bodies. The complicity, selective morality, and double standards of these entities cannot be accepted in the face of apartheid. Yet even though their moral authority is questionable, we must still hold them to account, demanding a world where the ordinary act of playing a game should never be considered extraordinary.
While this exhibition match can serve as an important political reminder, it is, above all else, a significant show of solidarity. The enduring resistance of the Palestinian people combined with the long-standing and steadfast support of the Irish people, embodies the best of humanity and provides a glimmer of hope in these dark days. At a time when joy and play and laughter feel somewhat guilt-ridden, or incompatible with the collective grief and trauma being experienced globally, sport can offer rare relief—momentary freedom, even. The soccer tournament in Rafah during Ramadan last month is testament to this, as Palestinians fleetingly found escape and distraction despite their lives continuing to be so violently disrupted and marred by loss. What’s more, against the backdrop of occupation and oppression, Palestinians are affirming their right to life and dignity through the spirit of play, meaning sport becomes an act of resistance and hope remains indomitable.
Sport can be a catalyst for change and peace, and will undoubtedly contribute to future healing and rehabilitation, but for now, we will find solace in the solidarity it offers. Everyone’s attendance here today is a small but potent act of solidarity that acknowledges the humanity at risk of being lost amidst atrocity, while at the same time celebrating the persistence of the Palestinian players. Let this historic friendly match be a tribute to the power of sport to unite, and to remind us of the shared values that connect us all.
Viva Viva Palestina.
Rebecca O’Keeffe is a peace activist, author, and researcher. She is a former international basketball player and member of Irish Sport for Palestine.
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