Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has said he spoke to members of his squad individually about the prospect of facing Israel in the Nations League, and that “none of us feel comfortable playing in these games”.
Both forthcoming fixtures between the sides are scheduled for neutral venues. Israel’s home game is due to be played in Hungary on 27 September, while the reverse fixture is set for Serbia on 4 October. The Football Association of Ireland has confirmed that its home tie will be played behind closed doors, and no tickets will be made available for Irish fans for their away game.
Hallgrimsson made the comments after announcing his latest squad, which will also travel to Kosovo on 24 September and host Austria on 1 October. He said he had spoken to players one-to-one “because we shouldn’t be doing this in a group talk”.
“Obviously we have different opinions, different strength of opinions,” he said. “I think it’s best to say, without going into individuals, none of us feel comfortable playing in these games but once we have decided to play them, we all stick together and play as one.”
The decision to play the games was backed at an extraordinary general meeting in July, when delegates passed an FAI motion to proceed amid concerns that boycotting would cause “significant and lasting harm” to the association. The decision has since come under increasing pressure, with a ‘Stop The Game’ campaign launched by Irish Sport for Palestine calling for a boycott. The campaign has received support from former manager Brian Kerr and ex-player James McClean, while May’s friendly against Qatar in Dublin was disrupted when tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch.
The background to the controversy includes the attack by the armed Palestinian group Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza. The United Nations believes the retaliation has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians. Israel has regularly denied committing genocide or war crimes and has said its actions in Gaza have been justified as a means of self-defence.
Earlier this week, FAI director of football John Martin described the games as creating a “very uncomfortable situation for everyone” and insisted players “shouldn’t be in a position where they get criticised”. Hallgrimsson added: “We want to represent Ireland with the best games and performances that we can. That’s the agreement with all of us.” He also said: “Obviously we don’t all share the same opinion. That’s just human nature.”
The Nations League games mark the Republic of Ireland’s first competitive action since their World Cup play-off semi-final defeat by the Czech Republic in March. Since that penalty shootout loss in Prague, they have played four friendlies, beating Grenada and Qatar and drawing with North Macedonia and Canada.