Ireland have yet to decide whether they will contest Sunday’s ‘home’ Nations League fixture against Israel in Serbia, as thousands of supporters continue to call for a boycott.
The two teams met in Hungary on Sunday night, where Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the politically charged match on ethical grounds. A petition urging the fixture to be cancelled had attracted almost 20,000 signatures.
Hundreds of Irish pubs declined to screen the first meeting and have said they will do the same for Sunday’s return fixture. Protests were also held outside the Republic’s team hotel in Dublin.
Before the opening match, Ireland captain Dara O’Shea did not shake hands with Israel skipper Manor Solomon during the coin toss. The Irish players also wore black armbands ‘in recognition of all lives lost in the [Gaza] conflict’.
Ireland’s players also appeared to snub the Israeli national anthem, pointedly looking down as it was played.
Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson had previously said his team were ‘playing against genocide’ amid Israel’s attacks on Palestine, where more than 70,000 people have been killed since the war in Gaza began, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The Republic of Ireland team snubbed the Israeli national anthem before Sunday’s Nations League clash and remain undecided over the second match
A significant majority of players, according to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), ultimately chose to fulfil the ‘away’ fixture. However, the controversy surrounding the match shows little sign of fading ahead of Thursday’s meeting with Austria at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
On Saturday, FAI president Paul Cooke reiterated that the organisation intended to play Israel again in Backa Topola, while stressing that it was approaching the situation ‘one game at a time’.
After Ireland’s 3-0 victory in Hungary, Hallgrimsson said: ‘We haven’t decided what we will do 100%. When we get home tonight, we’ll give them a day off tomorrow to go home, and share a day with their families and friends and loved ones, and then we’ll come back and prepare for the Austria game. Hopefully we can finish that one and take a discussion.’
Peadar Browns in Dublin was among the 140 pubs that refused to show the first match. Owner Aidan Brown told Al Jazeera: ‘We committed about a month ago not to show any of the upcoming Nations League fixtures until Ireland made a stand against Israel.’
Following Sunday’s match, Israel captain Solomon criticised his Irish opponents, saying: ‘They said nonsense [to us] during the game, I don’t want to talk about them.
‘If I say what I think about them, I’ll probably be banned for a few games so I don’t want to say. Of course they hate us and we don’t like them.
‘I’m already looking forward to the next game against them, it’s going to be completely different. What they did with the anthem? I’m not interested in them, we have a country that is ten times better than theirs, stronger, an amazing country with amazing people. [The Irish] can play all their tricks. We are Israelis and love the country. And that will always be the case.’
Bazunu was the only Republic player to formally make himself unavailable for selection for the matches against Israel. However, as of Saturday, the Bolton goalkeeper was expected to remain with the squad and be available for the Austria fixture.
Asked whether there were sharply differing views within his squad over the Israel fixture, Hallgrimsson said: ‘All I can say is I think we are all uncomfortable, number one.
‘Number two, we have different opinions, and we should allow people to have different opinions. It’s not one opinion that’s right and all the others are wrong.
‘We have different players in the squad that come from different backgrounds, so we need to be careful that everybody has a say in our decisions. But it’s tough when there are different decisions.
Israel captain Manor Solomon claimed his country is ‘ten times better’ than Ireland after the Irish players refused to shake hands before the match
‘Just like politics, some parties just can’t work together, but it’s been amazing and I hope you will see the tough times the players have been through and come out as winners, because they want to represent their country. That’s their desire. I hope everybody sees that.’
Bazunu came forward on Saturday morning to outline his stance, which he later confirmed in a statement on Instagram. That triggered a lengthy team meeting that resulted in the vote to proceed with the first Israel clash.
The Bolton Wanderers star justified his decision by saying: ‘I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle’.
‘My decision is based purely upon my belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.
‘It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition to the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region.
‘There are few times when you get a chance in life to stand for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them.’
Hallgrimsson has repeatedly insisted he and his team have found themselves in a no-win situation.
The Republic boss nevertheless does not fear Bazunu will be perceived as ‘good’ or the rest of the players ‘bad’ in Dublin.
‘I think both can come out as winners,’ he added. ‘It was obviously a brave decision for Gav to do it. It was tough for us and a lot of players, and we needed to react, but obviously everyone supports Gav and don’t want him to feel bad about what he did.
‘It would have been better for me as a coach that the decision came earlier, but when he told me, he explained that overnight he’d changed his mind and didn’t want to play.
‘That’s understandable. Nobody forces a player to play for us.’
The episode is the latest sign of growing hostility towards Israel and comes weeks after 12 countries including the UK, France and Canada announced sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank earlier this month.
The match came against a backdrop of ongoing and increasingly volatile disagreement between the two countries about Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
In May 2024, Ireland officially recognised a Palestinian state – alongside Spain and Norway – and later that year joined South Africa’s Gaza genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice.
The country has also refused to take part in Eurovision since 2026 due to Israel’s ongoing participation in the song contest and was the first EU nation to boycott goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
In June, the country issued travel bans on Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage.
Troy Parrott celebrates with a heart gesture after scoring against Israel in the 3-0 win
While a ceasefire that took effect last October 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued in what the military has said are responses to threats or attacks.
Since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed, said the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government.
Meanwhile, seven Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
Next steps in the US-brokered ceasefire remain largely stalled.
Israeli forces now control over half of the territory, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they will not withdraw until Hamas disarms.
On September 8, the UK announced sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, following reports of some 1,400 attacks by Israeli settlers this year.
