Ireland to play Israel in Debrecen Nations League match amid sustained boycott calls
The Republic of Ireland are due to meet Israel in a Nations League match in Debrecen on Sunday, a fixture set to proceed despite sustained calls in Ireland for a boycott. The game will be staged in a neutral venue and is expected to take place largely without supporters in the stands.
Since the sides were drawn together in February, voices across Irish society have urged a cancellation. The Irish government has said Israel is committing genocide through its military action in Gaza, and the Football Association of Ireland has called for Israel to be suspended from international competition. Unless Ireland’s players refuse to take the field, the match will go ahead, with Ireland’s designated home fixture scheduled to be held behind closed doors in Backa Topola, Serbia, the following Sunday.
Tensions have risen as the fixture approaches after Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson said his side were “playing against genocide”, a remark that prompted the Israel Football Association to accuse the Icelander of “ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity”. Hallgrímsson was publicly supported by the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, who described the IFA’s remarks as “unacceptable” and said they should be withdrawn.
Public protests have accompanied the political exchanges. Stop the Game criticised what it called the “hypocrisy” of Irish sports ministers who announced they would refuse to attend the match but did not back a boycott, while Irish Sport for Palestine published an open letter signed by more than 160 athletes urging action from the players. The letter stated: “Not playing the game would be the most sporting thing you could do,” and added, “Through your leadership and courage it would show the power of sport to unite, remind us of the shared values that connect us all, and have an impact far beyond the game.”
Players have acknowledged the pressure and agreed to consider a collective response. Dara O’Shea said the squad found themselves in a “difficult” and “unusual” position and that they had agreed to decide a collective approach to the match in Debrecen, adding: “It’s something that can’t be brushed over.” Despite that deliberation, the decision is expected to fall short of a boycott; midfielder Jason Knight commented after Ireland’s recent game that: “I don’t think the game should be going ahead but it is going ahead.”
The FAI’s position on playing the tie has evolved over recent months. In November its general assembly voted to request that UEFA suspend Israel from its competitions, even as FAI president Paul Cooke said Ireland would play Israel if drawn against them. In June the FAI said UEFA had agreed that Ireland’s home fixture be staged at a neutral venue and behind closed doors because of “operational challenges”, and in July delegates at an extraordinary general meeting voted 68% to 32% in favour of fulfilling the fixture, citing concerns about “the profound impact that any non-fulfilment of Uefa fixtures would have on Irish football as a whole.”
Campaigners opposing the decision point to recent precedents where Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia faced UEFA sanctions after boycotting fixtures against Belarusian teams, with each punished by a 3-0 walkover and one association fined €5,000. Irish broadcaster RTÉ will show the Debrecen game live but without studio coverage, using the international feed for commentary, and Israel expect no more than 100 supporters to attend, with most tickets bought by fans living in Hungary.
Both teams enter the fixture in need of a win after opening defeats, Israel having lost in Austria, and the sides will meet again in Backa Topola behind closed doors the following Sunday.