Eight-time All-Ireland winner Michael Darragh Macauley says he is “disappointed” NFL action will take place in Croke Park this weekend and will be among those protesting at the event.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings are set to meet at Croke Park on Sunday for a first-ever regular season game on the island of Ireland.

The Irish government contributed around €10million to the cost of putting on the game, with roughly 30,000 of the 75,000 people going to the Jones’ Road venue expected to have travelled from abroad.

There has been opposition in some quarters to the staging of the game given America’s extensive military, diplomatic, and financial support to Israel throughout the Gaza war.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland Macauley, who last week stepped down as CEO of Sanctuary Runners, a prominent not-for-profit community organisation, was asked how he felt about the NFL coming to Croke Park.

“I’m disappointed about it,” he said. “In what we are witnessing in this period of history, it’s very important to look at who we are getting into bed with.

“The NFL is inextricably linked with the American military at the moment. It’s too close for me.”

MacAuley said that with the 32 owners of the NFL teams “overwhelmingly” Republican, the NFL provides a huge backing to the Trump administration. He argues that some offer more than just financial support.

“Mark Wilf, owner of the Vikings, is the chairman of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel. He is actively pushing settlements, which is displacing Palestinians, and doing their best to make sure there is never going to be a Palestinian state. They are not passive players in this.

“The GAA is one of the best organisations in the world. We are so proud of our amateur status and giving into the grassroots of our organisation. The NFL can’t look at themselves in the same mirror and say it is something they do correctly.”

The former Dublin footballer outlines that while the GAA – as per its Code of Ethics – is an inclusive body for all people, the NFL has been dogged by saga after saga over the years, highlighting the Colin Kaepernick controversy from 2016 when the then San Francisco 49ers quarterback knelt during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality against Black people and people of colour.

Kaepernick was released and never played NFL again, reaching a confidential settlement with the league in 2019 for alleged collusion

“The NFL have treated their players disgracefully. When I see the NFL machine rolling into town, and it is an active soft power around the world in what they are trying to do, it’s something I’m not comfortable with.”