Irvine: St Pauli board member comments were 'deeply hurtful'

St Pauli captain Jackson Irvine has spoken publicly for the first time about the friction with his club after he took a pro-Palestinian stance in the conflict against Israel.

In an interview to Australian broadcaster ABC, the midfielder, who's currently injured, defended himself against comments made by a member of St Pauli supervisory board.

"We've built amazing relationships in all corners of the city, and to have received something like that from a person in this position was, of course, deeply hurtful," Irvine said.

The comments were made under a social media post by Irvine's wife, Jemilla Pir. She then made a video exposing the board member.

Asked why did he think the club's board member made such comments, Irvine hinted at his pro-Palestine stance.

"I don't want to dive too much into that, but I think most people who have followed my story over the last few months probably understand why this has happened. It's a far deeper conversation into a lot of other things away from football," he said.

Fans and people within the club feel that Irvine lacks a clear commitment to Israel's right to exist, which is historically significant for St Pauli.

Irvine has been playing for St Pauli since 2021, was a major role model for many years and would like to repair his relationship with his club.

"It's something that I hope it can be resolved because it's something that you don't want to be having to deal with, especially for myself coming back from an injury where you want to put your full energy into that," he said.

"And of course for my family. More importantly, I want to feel safe and comfortable in the community that we live in."