Ireland plays Israel amid genocide row and player protests
Ireland's footballers take the field for Nations League matches against Israel despite calling the fixture a contest "against a genocide" and refusing to train.
KEY POINTS
- Ireland plays Israel in Nations League matches on Sept 27 and Oct 4 in Hungary
- Irish squad refused final training session and press conference was postponed
- Manager Hallgrimsson called fixtures 'matches against the genocide'
- Israeli FA labelled Hallgrimsson's comments 'nonsensical, hypocritical and mindless'
- RTE will broadcast without commentary; Israeli players refuse shirt swap
The Republic of Ireland faces Israel in two UEFA Nations League Group B3 fixtures scheduled for September 27 and October 4 in Hungary. Irish public broadcaster RTE will air the matches but has announced it will do so without commentary in protest.
Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said his squad does not feel comfortable playing, describing the games as "two matches against the genocide" rather than against Israel. The Israeli Football Association called the remarks "nonsensical, hypocritical and mindless."
“We are not playing with a genocide, we are playing against a genocide. We are playing against Israel, we are not playing with Israel”
The full Ireland squad refused to attend their final training session on Saturday, staying in their team hotel instead. The mandatory pre-match press conference was postponed indefinitely.
Hallgrimsson acknowledged the players feared UEFA sanctions, including possible expulsion from the competition, if they boycotted. Ireland is also a co-host for Euro 2028.
Israeli players declared they would not swap shirts with their Irish opponents as a counter-protest. The dispute centres on the war in Gaza, which Ireland has formally recognised as a genocide.
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