News by email Donate

Suggestions

windsor-park-main_article_image.jpg
Fasach Nua
UK News

Protest at first NI Sunday football fixture

The Irish Football Association was forced to hold the match on a Sunday by UEFA which has introduced new rules to get more people involved in the game.

Members of the Free Presbyterian Church gathered outside the ground as Northern Ireland faced Finland in a Euro 2016 qualifier.

Revd Raymond Robinson, from the Tyndale Memorial branch of the Free Presbyterian Church, told the Press Association: "Our opposition is to the breaking of observance of the Lord's day.

"We believe in the Sabbath being kept holy. It seems more and more that the football agenda is being driven by the television companies and not what God says, or what public opinion is.

"A delegation met the IFA and expressed our concerns. We found it interesting that the likes of Gibraltar and Spain had special circumstances (within the UEFA schedule) but the IFA couldn't have the same for observing Sunday as the Lord's day.

"We were also surprised at the IFA not contacting local churches about the fixture, which we felt would have been common courtesy.

"They did say they would seek to accommodate us and help out but if we had never mentioned it that would never have happened."

News you can believe in. Stand with Premier Christian News today.

Your gift today ensures that Premier Christian News can press forward in strength, reaching more people with biblical truth and shaping the future of Christian thought. It’s more than just a donation—it’s an investment in renewed minds and transformed lives. 

Without continued support, the ability to create and distribute resources that strengthen faith and equip the church will be compromised. But with your help, we can grow deeper, stand firmer, and shine brighter in the culture.

Your support today is critical.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate