Ireland players vote to fulfil UEFA Nations League fixture in Debrecen and will wear black armbands
On Saturday (September 26) Republic of Ireland players voted to continue with their UEFA Nations League fixture against Israel in Debrecen, Hungary, scheduled for Sunday (September 27), after hours of discussions that also saw one squad member leave.
Ireland’s press conference and training session were delayed by more than five hours on Saturday as players held repeated talks at their team hotel about whether to play; goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu later confirmed on social media that he had left the squad. Bazunu, described in the report as a 24-year-old reserve goalkeeper, said he felt it would be "wrong to participate" in the games "based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong." He added his stance was "not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region. There are few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them."
David Courell, chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland, told a long-delayed press conference that an unnamed player's "discomfort with fulfilling this fixture" had prompted the squad deliberations and that a vote was taken among the players. Courell said a "significant majority" favoured continuing and that "Based on that, the association took the decision on behalf of Irish football that this fixture would continue as we have always intended to fulfill the fixtures."
Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said the player who left was not named at the press conference and confirmed the remainder of the squad were training. "All the rest of the players are training today," Hallgrimsson said. "It's an ongoing discussion and we haven't come to a kind of conclusion on this, but we are going ahead, the game is going ahead, we're going to train. And there will be more discussions tonight and probably tomorrow." The report says Bazunu had reportedly told the team on Friday (September 25) night that he did not want to play.
Courell said the players had asked not to be required to deal with media obligations around Sunday's (September 27) match because they were uncomfortable with questions "that are not about football." "They also have the intention of wearing black armbands in recognition of all lives lost in the conflict," Courell said. "And also there will be elements of the pre-match ceremony that will not be partaken in." He said both the players and the FAI would make a "significant contribution" to charity from both match fees – neither of which is open to Irish fans – and from Ireland's game against Austria in Dublin on Oct. 1.
Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ said it will provide only stripped-back coverage of the games versus Israel to meet contractual obligations, with no studio presentation, commentary on the international feed, or analysis, and that it will not accept advertising or sponsorship around either game. RTÉ also announced it will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for a second year over Israel's participation. The report states there has been strong domestic pressure to boycott the two fixtures, described as Israel's "home" game on Sunday (September 27) and Ireland's "home" game in Backa Topola, Serbia on Oct. 4.
The Football Association of Ireland said in June that Ireland's home game was moving to a neutral venue for "operational reasons" and that no fans will be present; the move, the report says, followed widespread calls to boycott the match and the FAI's own motion the previous November calling on UEFA to ban Israel from club and international competitions. Hallgrimsson commented on domestic sentiment: "There's a huge support – probably in Europe the biggest support – for Palestine in Ireland," he said. "And there have been protests since the draw (in February) not to play this fixture. There's been a protest from day one not to play the fixture in Ireland, and that's the pressure that the players will feel and the association will feel. I felt that pressure growing day by day and it's getting almost to a breaking limit now."
The report adds that Ireland midfielder Jason Knight said after Thursday's (September 24) 1-0 loss in Kosovo that the players were in a difficult situation and that he didn't think the matches should be going ahead. Hallgrimsson had previously said "we're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide. We're playing against Israel, we're not playing with Israel," a remark that the Israeli soccer federation responded to by accusing the Icelandic coach of "stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy." The FAI had resisted calls to boycott the matches citing potential UEFA sanctions, and the article notes Ireland is co-hosting the 2028 European Championship with England, Wales and Scotland.
More than 160 Irish sportspeople signed an open letter urging the FAI to reconsider its decision to play, and there were protesters outside the team hotel in Dublin last week. The SIPTU trade union displayed a huge poster beside the River Liffey asking the players to "Go with your conscience!" and "Don't play with genocide" beside an image of a blood-splattered ball. Former Ireland coach Brian Kerr said the FAI had "lost the respect of the Irish people" for going ahead with the games and added: "The Irish people and the soccer-going public don't want the games to be played," Kerr said. "I think they've made their opinions clear over the last year. The FAI back in November actually went to UEFA and requested that Israel be put out of the tournament on a principle. And yet they went against that principle." UEFA did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday's developments, and Ireland are due to play Israel in Debrecen on Sunday (September 27).
