Social Democrats TD and Spokesperson on Sport Daniel Ennis has said the Ireland players "have been hung out to dry" by the FAI and the board of the association should resign.
The FAI is to tell the Oireachtas Sports Committee today how the decision to proceed with the controversial fixtures against Israel was made in the best interests of Irish football.
The CEO of the FAI David Courell and other senior figures at the Association will answer questions from TDs and Senators this afternoon with Ireland to play Israel again on Sunday in the UEFA Nations League after preparations for last weekend's fixture in Hungary were thrown into chaos at the eleventh hour.
A former League of Ireland footballer, Mr Ennis told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that "all the weight was on the players".
Mr Ennis said the players were "left exposed" by the FAI board in relation to playing Israel in the Nations League match last Sunday, which had a peak viewing audience on RTÉ of 573,000.
He said it is the biggest crisis facing Irish football, with many people telling him that they will not renew season tickets.
Mr Ennis said that the FAI has put "a dark stain" on Irish football.
In relation to possible sanctions that the FAI may have faced for not playing the match, Mr Ennis said that "no sanction stands up against the charred remains of babies."
Mr Ennis said that the FAI board will need to give the Oireachtas committee answers on accountability, transparency and the duty of care.
"We've seen dark stain being put on Irish football once again by the FAI and the mishandling of a situation," he said.
"Not only that, now they've hung players out the dry, they've done everything but protect the players.
"Right throughout this, their messaging has been about protecting the players and playing this game and yet they've hung players out to dry and ... it's been shambolic, it's been shameful and that's why we were asking for them to step down."
In relation to FAI President Paul Cooke, Mr Ennis said that he does not believe that he has handled the situation well.
"We heard about them saying that it had to go ahead and it was always going to go ahead.
"Twenty four hours before the game, players voted for the game to go ahead. So let's say that was flipped. Do they go back to their members hours before the game?
"So, it was democratically voted on by their members, but the players ultimately voted to play this game against Israel. Again, all the weight was on the players."
Mr Ennis added: "It is the biggest crisis we're facing at the moment in Irish football and it needs to be dealt with and it will be now at this morning's committee."
He said that he thinks that there will be a big protest at the match tomorrow night at the Aviva Stadium when Ireland plays Austria.
"We look at the footballing community, we look at the wider public. They don't want these Israel games to go ahead. They didn't want it to go ahead. So I'm sure people are going to show out in big numbers and so they should."
He said that he hopes the game against Israel this weekend does not go ahead.
Mr Ennis said that the FAI the board should step in and stop the match going ahead and not leave it to the players holding a vote again.
"So, what if the players call another vote? What happens then? ... We've eight players that have already said they don't want to play against Israel. Eight players," he said.
"From a footballing point of view, I wouldn't like to go out on a football pitch knowing that eight of my players don't want to be on that pitch.
"And it's not because of footballing decisions, it's not because of injuries, it's because they don't want to share the same pitch as a genocidal regime."
As the FAI was already scheduled before the Oireachtas Committee to discuss other matters, Mr Ennis said that they will likely get lost in all the controversy around the Israel games.
"Basically they're in front of us. It's about accountability, it's about transparency ... But they've got this wrong. They've put a dark stain on Irish football."
People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger has also called for the FAI Board to resign.
Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Ms Coppinger said there should be a boycott on Sunday's fixture.
"The team was sent into a cauldron of racial abuse, monkey chants for one of the players, an IDF chant. A video circulated of Yosef Hadad, who was actually brought into the Oireachtas by Minister (Jennifer Carroll) MacNeill, apparently stating that we (Israel) may lose the football, but the IDF always wins," she said.
"I want to ask you (Taoiseach) about the Government's role because you got up and you made a speech at the UN where you said the situation in Gaza remains an affront to all that is decent, and let it not be said we did not act, and then two days later, you facilitated a sportswash in a game against Israel."
Ms Coppinger also praised goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu for withdrawing from the squad last weekend.
"We all agree the players shouldn't have been in that position. So you know that’s unanimous. You and the FAI put them in that position," she said.
