Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister has raised concerns about the broader issues at play here. My most immediate and pragmatic concern is that any Irish fans who travel, from this country or others, to the group stages or the subsequent knock-out stages in the coming weeks should, first, be well-advised before they travel about what is expected of them and the potential risks. Second, we have seen people get into trouble in countries such as Qatar through no fault of their own and support should be there. It is important the support remains on the ground right up to the end.

I encourage the Minister to engage with the Football Association of Ireland, FAI, with regard to disseminating some of the information to its grassroots level platforms and as many other levels as possible to reach soccer supporters who are based here and our diaspora. We certainly do not wish to see any of the Irish football supporters, who travel to that country to enjoy the World Cup, getting into trouble and finding themselves in difficult positions. That said, many people find themselves in trouble through no fault of their own in countries such as Qatar. We need to avoid that as much as possible.

See this speech in context