Hallgrímsson urges Uefa to keep Ireland and Israel apart after tense 1-1 Nations League draw
Heimir Hallgrímsson called on Uefa to ensure Republic of Ireland are not drawn with Israel again after a tense 1-1 Nations League draw on Sunday at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia, a match played behind closed doors. The Icelandic manager said the pair of fixtures “has been tough on us all”.
Troy Parrott put Ireland ahead from the penalty spot in the 39th minute and Dor Peretz levelled two minutes after the restart in the Group B3 game. Parrott has now scored 10 times in his past seven competitive internationals. Ireland players wore black armbands and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem; Israeli players also wore black armbands in memory of the people killed in the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
Hallgrímsson declined to comment on a half-time confrontation in which it is understood a member of his backroom staff alleged he was spat at by an Israeli player, saying that was better left to a disciplinary committee. He added: “We need now some time to reflect and go forward.” He also said: “It’s also the best time to find your enemies when you’re lying on the ground and people are kicking you. It’s easy to see who was trying to kick you.”
Caoimhín Kelleher captained Ireland in the absence of Dara O’Shea, who was excused to be with his wife for the birth of their child, and Kelleher avoided shaking hands with Israel captain Peretz while completing the usual pre-match handshakes with the referee and one of his assistants. Kelleher had repeated O’Shea’s earlier action from the first meeting in Debrecen last week when O’Shea declined to shake Israel captain Manor Solomon’s hand; Ireland won that game 3-0 through three first-half goals. Solomon was dropped to the bench for Sunday’s match.
The penalty was awarded after a lengthy VAR check when Jimmy Dunne was brought down following an attempt by Israel goalkeeper Assaf Tzur to smother the ball; Parrott converted from the spot. Peretz’s equaliser arrived after an Oscar Gloukh effort took a favourable deflection off Liam Scales and into the path of the acting captain, who finished low past Kelleher.
Sayed Abu Farchi returned to the Israel squad after serving a suspension for being sent off following his goal celebration during Israel’s 3-1 defeat to Austria last month. Finn Azaz, whose mother has Israeli heritage, was among the Irish substitutes after starting against Austria on Thursday.
The difficult atmosphere spilled over off the pitch: there was a clash as the teams entered the tunnel at half-time, officials broke up a second altercation in three minutes of added time, and heated words were exchanged after the final whistle. The match had been due to take place in Dublin but the Football Association of Ireland moved it to a neutral venue in June following widespread calls for a boycott in protest of Israel’s actions in Gaza; the FAI said the game would be played with no fans present and the move followed a motion the previous November calling on Uefa to ban Israel from club and international competitions.
Asked on RTE whether the two sides should be playing in the future, Hallgrímsson said: “No, they shouldn’t. That’s not ours to decide, that’s Uefa. I wouldn’t want or wish any national team to go through what we have gone through these two weeks. Uefa needs to step in and do something.’
