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Sport

Ireland's Nations League preparations stall amid Israel boycott pressure

Ireland's team news conference and training session were both delayed on Saturday ahead of Sunday's Nations League game against Israel, amid growing player resistance to playing the fixture.

By Tom Ellery · · 2 min read

Ireland’s preparations for Sunday’s UEFA Nations League game against Israel were thrown into uncertainty on Saturday, with the team’s scheduled news conference and training session both delayed, Sky News reported.

The match is to be played in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday, Israel’s designated “home” venue for the fixture, according to AP. Journalists in Debrecen were told the press conference had been pushed back until after training just 15 minutes before it was supposed to begin — but training was delayed too, and Irish broadcaster RTE reported the players were still at their hotel more than two hours after the session was supposed to start, Al Jazeera reported.

RTE’s Tony O’Donoghue said on RTE Radio 1 that some players had decided they did not want to play the games. “If one or more want to be out, maybe they will all be out,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.

Backup goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu informed the FAI he did not want to play against Israel, the Irish Independent reported on Saturday, per i24news.

The disruption follows Thursday’s 1-0 defeat in Kosovo, after which midfielder Jason Knight said the players were in a difficult situation and he didn’t think the matches should be going ahead, AP reported.

Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson had earlier said: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel” — drawing a furious reaction. The Israeli soccer federation accused him of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy” and posted on X: “We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, we’re playing against the coach who embodies them,” AP and i24news reported.

The FAI had resisted boycott calls, arguing the team could face UEFA sanctions; Ireland is co-hosting Euro 2028 with England, Wales and Scotland, according to AP. More than 160 Irish sportspeople signed an open letter urging the FAI to reconsider, AP reported.

FAI members voted in November 2025 to request Israel’s suspension from UEFA over alleged breaches of its statutes, but committed to fulfilling the fixtures citing the risk of forfeits and further disciplinary action; UEFA rejected the FAI’s request to keep the sides apart, according to i24news.

The second game is scheduled for October 4 in Backa Topola, Serbia — Ireland’s “home” game, moved overseas and played behind closed doors, AP and i24news reported.

Sources

More on this topic: all Sport stories

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