A Fermanagh-based campaigner has sharply rejected a public statement by Allianz defending its sponsorship of the GAA, prolonging a dispute that has drawn in eight of Ulster's nine counties.

Allianz chief customer officer Geoff Sparling published a column in the Irish Independent on 31 July, the same day the GAA executive said it would not respond to an appeal from Tyrone GAA to cancel the partnership. Sparling wrote that the insurer "wholly and unequivocally rejects allegations it is complicit in genocide" and argued that lawful participation in global financial markets does not make a company responsible for the actions of a sovereign government.

Fr Gabriel Dolan, a member of Fermanagh Gaels Against Genocide, issued a reply accusing Allianz of waiting until the inter-county season had ended before addressing the controversy. He questioned whether the GAA and Allianz had coordinated their statements.

The row has been running for over a year. Grassroots campaigners have been convinced by a report from UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese that Allianz has links to Israel through its asset management arm PIMCO, which holds Israeli sovereign bonds. Eight Ulster counties, with Donegal the exception, backed motions seeking to end the sponsorship, but no motion was permitted at Congress earlier this year.

Protestors, including members of Fermanagh Gaels Against Genocide, entered Congress last February. Among those seeking a vote were former GAA players Peter Canavan, Paschal Canavan, Peter McGinnitty, Greg Blaney, Colm McAlarney, Colm O'Rourke and Dr David Hickey.

Sparling stated that Allianz Ireland has no investments or underwriting activities in the Middle East. He said the group is cited in the UN report primarily because of PIMCO's holdings of Israeli bonds and alleged investments in multinational companies, but he rejected the report's methodology and conclusions.

Fr Dolan countered that Allianz-PIMCO holds $2.67 billion in Israeli sovereign bonds, representing 51.8 percent of all non-Israel foreign holdings. He said the figure stood at $32 million in November 2024 and rose to $2.67 billion nine months later. He also noted that Israel bonds have been advertised as war bonds since 2023, with the slogan "Stand with Israel – Israel is at War", and cited Israeli President Isaac Herzog referring to the "crucial role of Israel Bonds during this time of conflict and war".

Fr Dolan described the investments as legal but illegitimate and immoral, and said the campaign would continue. He called on GAA president Jarlath Burns to end the sponsorship, using the phrase "Allianz Amach".