Basketball Ireland's Instagram account 'permanently disabled' following fraught game with Israel

BASKETBALL IRELAND’S OFFICIAL Instagram account has been permanently disabled, the sporting body has said, adding that it has appealed the decision and raised the issue with the Government.

Basketball Ireland acknowledged that the senior women’s team has been the subject of “added media and social media attention” related to a recent game between Ireland and Israel, which saw calls for the Irish team to boycott the fixture over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

Prior to the game, the Israeli team had posed for photos with armed Israeli soldiers and one Israeli player accused the Irish team of being antisemitic.

Basketball Ireland said in a statement today that it lost access to its Instagram page last Sunday and then on Wednesday it was informed by META (Instagram’s parent company) that the account had been permanently disabled, “via an automated message”.

Basketball Ireland said it is appealing the move “as there is no legitimate reason to do so”.

“Basketball Ireland is a National Governing Body, only posting about basketball in Ireland. Our social media pages are there to showcase our international and domestic game, from elite to grassroots level,” the statement read.

The message that greets those who click on links to the disabled account.

While recognising the controversy around the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 Qualifier, which Israel won, Basketball Ireland said that no posts on the account warranted a ban.

“Nothing that has been posted on our social media channels during this time, before, or since, merits this decision by META. Basketball Ireland has raised this matter with Government and Sport Ireland,” the statement said.

The organisation said it would continue to post on X, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn.

It has also set up a replacement account on Instagram here.

The Journal has contacted Meta in relation to Basketball Ireland’s statement but has yet to receive a response.