FAI will remove all sponsor branding for upcoming Nations League matches

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has decided to remove all sponsorship around the forthcoming men’s Nations League games against Kosovo, Israel and Austria.

The association has greatly curtailed media engagements and social media activity for the forthcoming matches, while Heimir Hallgrímsson’s press conference last Thursday proceeded without a backdrop board displaying the logos of the association’s various sponsors. FAI chief executive David Courell said on Friday that the sponsorship blackout is part of a recognition that the forthcoming games against Israel are “unique”.

When asked on Friday whether this decision was made by the FAI or came as a request from sponsors, Courell said he could not give a “definitive answer”, adding he was not privy to the conversations. The FAI on Monday clarified to The Irish Times that the sponsorship blackout was its decision, made in consultation with its commercial partners. It is understood that the FAI will not pay a rebate to sponsors as a result of their diminished exposure.

Branding at press conferences held at the FAI’s headquarters at Abbotstown ordinarily includes the logos of sponsors Sky, Carlsberg, Circle-K, Aviva, Castore, Cadbury, Club Orange and DHL. Their removal for the forthcoming games is part of what Courell describes as a “scaling back”.

Surveys among Irish fans and professional footballers in Ireland have found majorities favouring a boycott of the Israel games, while the FAI points to an egm vote among members in July that it says gives them a mandate to fulfil the games to safeguard the financial interests of Irish football.

The FAI’s most recent set of published accounts acknowledges that its sponsorship portfolio has “strengthened considerably”, but these accounts do not include a stand-alone figure for total income from sponsorship. The figure is instead bundled with broadcast revenue beneath the heading “commercial income”, which was worth €22.9 million to the FAI in 2024.

The FAI is also limiting media engagements to the minimum mandated by Uefa’s rules across the next fortnight. Under Uefa’s rules, each competing nation must make their head coach available to speak before and after each game, while one player must speak at the pre-match press conference. Another three players are obliged to speak after each match. The FAI, along with many other national associations, ordinarily provides additional access beyond what is contractually obligated, but in this instance the FAI is cutting back.

[ Heimir Hallgrímsson walks a tightrope at a very abnormal Ireland squad announcementOpens in new window ]

A traditional media day at which multiple players and a member of the coaching staff are made available for interview was scheduled for Monday, but was cancelled last Friday afternoon. Earlier that day, the FAI’s marketing and communications department said that assistant coach John O’Shea would be speaking to the media on Monday, with the addition of a player yet to be confirmed. The entire event was pulled hours later.

The FAI said it is limiting media engagements “with the interests of the players, the team and the preparation for the upcoming fixtures in mind”. Some media outlets are themselves scaling back coverage of the Israel matches. RTÉ is broadcasting the games without studio coverage and is not seeking sponsorship or advertising around the games. Radio rights holder Newstalk is not carrying live commentary of either Israel fixture. RTÉ and Newstalk are both sending reporters to cover the games as news stories.

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