The FAI has washed its hands of football’s Covid storm by insisting it cannot - and won’t - force Ireland players to take the vaccine.
Abbotstown chiefs claim they can only ‘encourage’ players to get jabbed against the virus - and have to respect their wishes if they don’t want to.
Ireland and West Brom striker Callum Robinson revealed this week that he is one of a number of senior players who has refused a vaccine.
And that’s despite contracting Coronavirus twice and missing SEVEN Irish internationals as a result of Covid-related issues.
Ireland boss Stephen Kenny confirmed he is double jabbed and said he would prefer if all of his players were vaccinated.
But he felt it was too “radical” to start excluding players from international games if they refused to be vaccinated.
Kenny’s tenure as Ireland boss has been ravaged by various Covid-related issues and player absences.
And Robinson’s revelation has caused a fresh furore ahead of Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.
The Ireland squad touched down here in Baku yesterday evening and the unvaccinated players face another Covid test before the game.
But last night the FAI distanced itself from the debate after stating it cannot make players do something against their wishes.
In a statement, the FAI said: “The Football Association of Ireland can confirm that all players and staff are tested for COVID-19 before reporting for international duty with Republic of Ireland teams and are tested repeatedly in camp in line with FAI and UEFA protocols.
“We have encouraged all our players at all levels of the game to be vaccinated but we respect and must accept the right of all individuals to make a personal choice on COVID-19 vaccination.
“The Association will continue to exercise the highest standards for the safety of all our stakeholders.
“Our COVID-19 testing protocols for all players and staff on international duty strictly follow UEFA protocols and are compliant with all Irish Government guidelines.”
It concluded: “The FAI reconfirms our support for all Government, UEFA and FIFA protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We thank all our stakeholders for their ongoing exemplary compliance with Government guidelines over the last 19 months.”
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
