Ireland players wear black armbands and bow heads during Israeli anthem in Nations League match in Serbia

Republic of Ireland players again wore black armbands and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem before the teams’ second Nations League match in Backa Topola, Serbia on October 4, 2026.

Caoimhín Kelleher captained Ireland in place of Dara O’Shea, who was excused to be with his wife for the birth of their child, and Kelleher completed the usual pre-match formality with the referee and one of his assistants but avoided shaking hands with Israel captain Dor Peretz. Kelleher had repeated O’Shea’s action from the first meeting in Debrecen, Hungary last week, when O’Shea declined to shake the hand of Israel captain Manor Solomon.

Israeli players also wore black armbands in memory of the people killed in the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, while the Irish group bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem prior to kick-off on Sunday.

The fixture had originally been scheduled for Dublin but the Football Association of Ireland moved the game to a neutral venue in June for "operational reasons" following widespread calls for a boycott, and the FAI said the match would be played with no fans present. The association had previously passed a motion in November calling on UEFA to ban Israel from club and international competitions.

Manor Solomon was named on the bench for the Backa Topola match, while Israel forward Sayed Abu Farchi returned to the squad after serving a suspension incurred when he was sent off following his goal celebration during Israel’s 3-1 defeat to Austria on Sept. 25. Finn Azaz, whose mother has Israeli heritage, was listed among the Irish substitutes after starting against Austria on Thursday.

The build-up to the first fixture in Debrecen was disrupted by public protests and internal deliberation: protesters threw tennis balls bearing Palestinian flags onto the field during Ireland’s 2-2 draw with Austria on Oct. 1 and a man with a Palestinian flag later tried to run onto the pitch. An Israeli journalist alleged during a pre-match press conference on Oct. 3 that Irish players had called the Israeli players "monkeys," a claim Irish communications officer Kieran Crowley rebuked as "a lie" and which led him to end the press conference.

Only reserve goalkeeper Gavin Bazuno declined to participate in both contested matches, issuing a statement that it was his "personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong." Players reportedly delayed press conference and training sessions for hours in Debrecen while they debated whether to proceed and then voted 14-8 in favour of continuing after Bazuno’s withdrawal.

The Backa Topola meeting on October 4 was the teams’ second Nations League encounter in this international window; Ireland had won the first game in Debrecen 3-0 with three first-half goals.