The Republic of Ireland have confirmed Sunday’s Nations League fixture against Israel will go ahead following a team vote on the matter.
David Courell, the Football Association of Ireland’s (FAI) chief executive, explained a lengthy meeting between the squad and management had taken place on Saturday morning after an unnamed player “expressed discomfort” regarding the game and asked to withdraw.
The fixture in Debrecen, Hungary has been overshadowed by politics and protest due to the Israel-Gaza war.
Saturday’s pre-match press conference and team training were delayed by a number of hours due to the discussions, casting doubt over the game, before a resolution was reached.
Courell told a press conference, in quotes carried by the Irish Independent: “An extensive conversation took place (on Friday) where the consensus from the group was to travel to Hungary. It was a two hour meeting.
“This morning a player expressed their discomfort to the head coach and indicated their intent to withdraw from the squad. This new variable required time and deliberation for the squad to consider. What preceded was another four hours of conversation, mainly with players but at times with staff and the executive.
“A lot of positions were presented. We were fully respectful of everyone’s right to have their opinion on these topics.
“Ultimately, within the last 90 minutes we carried out a squad vote on fulfilling the fixtures. A significant majority (to play) was the result. The association took the decision to fulfil these fixtures.”
The latest conflict in Gaza began after Israel responded to attacks by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, which saw around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, killed in Israel and 250 taken hostage. The war has subsequently seen 73,000 people killed by Israel, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry and used by the UN.
Courell added that players planned to wear black armbands during Sunday’s game, would not take part in elements of the pre-match ceremony and would make a “significant” charitable donation.
Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson added: “By playing, we are not accepting what is happening. If a player enters the field tomorrow, he is not accepting what is happening in Gaza. If I can share the feelings of the players, they feel like they are doing something wrong playing this game from Ireland.
“That is not a good feeling. We want to make clear we are not supporting anything happening in Gaza, we are playing this fixture because that is the rule of the competition we are in.”
In December, the FAI overwhelmingly approved a motion that called on UEFA to ban Israel from its competitions, before the teams were drawn against each other in the Nations League in February.
The FAI voted to play the fixture due to the likely disciplinary sanctions from UEFA, but faced protests and calls for a boycott from politicians and fans. The decision was made to play the Republic of Ireland’s home game in Backa Topola, Serbia instead of Dublin, with tickets not made available to Ireland fans.
In the build up to the fixture, Heimir Hallgrimsson said his Republic of Ireland team would be “playing against genocide” when the two sides meet. The Israel Football Association responded, saying: “We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, we’re playing against the coach who embodies them.”
The second fixture in Serbia is due to take place on October 4.
This report was produced in the Gaza Herald newsroom.
