Joanna Byrne has been removed from her role as Drogheda United co-chairperson, the club's owners the Trivela Group have confirmed.
Byrne previously said she had been told her position on the League of Ireland club’s board was “no longer tenable” after comments she made about the Republic of Ireland’s scheduled Nations League fixtures with Israel.
She had said she was "angry and dismayed" that the Republic of Ireland will fulfil the fixtures in September and October, adding "Israel should not be in this competition".
Last week, Sinn Fein Teachta Dala (TD, Irish member of parliament) Byrne said she would not resign as director and co-chair after being instructed to do so by the League of Ireland club’s American owners.
That came after the Trivela Group said Byrne was not being asked to resign over her political views or beliefs, but because of "a statement made regarding private discussions with Club ownership".
In a further statement on Monday, the Trivela Group confirmed she had been removed.
"Trivela Group can confirm that, pursuant to its authority as sole shareholder of Drogheda United FC, Joanna Byrne has been removed by Trivela Group as a director of the club," the statement read.
"At this time, the board of directors consists of Benjamin Boycott, Marc Koretzky, Barton Lee, and club CEO Rian Wogan. Mr Boycott for the time being, will serve as the sole chairperson, and the club will look to appoint a local director and co-chair in due course.
"Once again, we thank Ms Byrne for her longstanding and ongoing dedication to the club and its success."
In November 2025, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) voted to submit a motion to European football's governing body Uefa to ban Israel from its club and international competitions.
The motion, which was overwhelmingly passed, urged Uefa to exclude Israel for "violating two independent provisions of the Uefa statutes".
The "violations" cited were the "organisation of clubs in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association" and a "failure to implement and enforce an effective anti-racism policy".
Following the Nations League draw, the FAI indicated it would fulfil fixtures against Israel on 27 September and 4 October because of the potential for disqualification.
In a statement following the draw, the FAI said it had consulted with Uefa and that sanctions for not fulfilling a fixture could lead to disqualification from the Nations League.
In September, there were reports Uefa may hold a vote on whether to suspend Israel from club and international competition.
However, such a move never materialised and any prospect of that happening receded after the announcement of the Israel-Hamas peace plan for Gaza in October.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 72,000 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
