Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has said “a lot of lies” were told about goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu’s decision to withdraw from the Nations League match against Israel last weekend, and added that he does not expect any problems with Sunday’s fixture going ahead.
Bazunu pulled out of both games between the two countries after protests calling for the team to boycott the fixture. Ireland have been among Europe’s most outspoken critics of Israel’s war in Gaza. Last Sunday’s match, played on the eve of the away fixture in Hungary, went ahead after a majority of the squad voted to play, and Ireland won it 3-0. Media reports afterwards indicated a fractured squad following the meeting and the vote, and claimed Bazunu had been insulted by teammates over his decision.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Hallgrimsson defended the keeper and the group. “Gavin is a great lad, I’ve always had a good relationship with him and it’s probably tougher for him than the other players, but they have really welcomed him,” he said. “There’s been a lot of lies said around all of this, but we welcomed him back and he’s taking part. Amazing, I think it shows his character, as well, to be with us. So I want to give him praise for that. I want to give the players praise for how welcome they have been with him.” He added: “Life goes on. He’s a part of this group and I think that shows how strong the bond is between these players that even a thing like this is not breaking us.”
Bazunu is available for Thursday’s home game with Austria in Dublin but will not take part in Sunday’s match, which the Football Association of Ireland has moved to Serbia to be played behind closed doors. Thursday’s fixture is expected to bring further protests over Ireland playing Israel. “I am focused on football, I’ll let others think about security,” Hallgrimsson said. “The FAI has said we are playing both games and we will fulfil that. It has been really, really tough, but I surely think that in time we will have seen that we took more right decisions than wrong ones.”
Midfielder Finn Azaz has also drawn attention because of his deep Israeli heritage, and he remained on the bench for the win over Israel. Asked whether Azaz would be involved on Sunday, Hallgrimsson declined to look beyond the Austria match. “We are focusing on this one [against Austria], you can probably ask me that question later on,” he said. “Finn has shown incredible emotional control and awareness. He probably is one of the people I admire the most in how he conducted himself in all of this.”
The build-up to the fixture has been marked by a sharp exchange off the pitch as well as protests in Dublin, with Israel’s captain stoking the feud by saying “our country is 10 times better than Ireland”.