Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has admitted that Sunday’s second Nations League meeting with Israel is “not going to be a friendly”, following comments from the Israeli camp after last week’s match in Hungary.
Ireland won that first fixture 3-0 in Debrecen, a game their players entered without engaging in pre-match formalities and during which they bowed their heads as the Israeli national anthem was played. Afterwards, Israel captain Manor Solomon said “we have a country 10 times better than theirs”, adding: “Obviously they hate us. We don’t like them.”
Asked whether those remarks would make for a tense encounter when the sides meet again on Sunday in a behind-closed-doors game in the Serbian town of Backa Topola, Hallgrimsson replied: “I guess so it’s not going to be a friendly.”
The Republic of Ireland had faced calls to boycott the Nations League fixtures because of the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, and the controversy has dominated the international window. The ‘Stop The Game’ campaign, organised by the pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine, urged the team to withdraw from the games and staged protests outside the Aviva Stadium before Thursday’s match against Austria. The first half of that game was also briefly interrupted by a tennis ball protest and a pitch invader.
Before last week’s match in Debrecen, Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made himself unavailable for both Israel fixtures, saying he felt “it would be wrong to participate”. On the eve of that game, the Republic of Ireland players’ vote on whether to play passed by what Football Association of Ireland chief executive David Courell described as a “significant majority”.
Hallgrimsson admitted he had been uncertain how the Dublin crowd would respond during the Austria game, but said the squad were lifted by the support they received. “Yeah, I’m not going to lie. I didn’t know what to expect,” said the 59-year-old. “Obviously, the ‘Stop the Game’ protest is loud. I don’t know how many but it’s been loud, but it was just good to see the support from the fans and I just want to repeat the appreciation for people showing up and showing support tonight, it helps us a lot. It gives us even more pride to play for the country.”
The head coach has also spoken about the toll the controversy surrounding the Israel fixtures has taken on his players, pointing to fatigue caused by “everything going on” as a factor on Thursday, when Austria fought back following Troy Parrott’s first-half double in a 2-2 draw in Dublin.
Looking ahead to Sunday, Hallgrimsson said: “It is going to be tricky and challenging for the players to be ready, but we will do everything and the medical team will work day and night to get them fit and fresh for that game.” He added: “It’s just another football match, but there is more at stake for all of us.”
Asked whether the backing during the Austria game would help his players heading into the second Israel fixture, Hallgrimsson said: “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask them. I hope so. I hope we all feel more appreciated than probably before this match. If that answers the question, I think we feel more appreciated.”
Sunday’s game is officially the Republic of Ireland’s home fixture, which has been moved to the TSC Arena in Backa Topola amid ongoing fan protests over the FAI’s decision to fulfil the fixtures. Hallgrimsson said he knew “absolutely nothing” about the town, which lies around 100 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia’s capital. “Everything about this is strange,” he said. “First of all, the four-game window has been strange and challenging and testing. It will be different playing in front of 45,000 or 50,000 supporters and then playing in an empty stadium. But that’s just another angle of the story and we need to be ready for that one.”