Ogbene urges public not to 'put the pressure on us' over Israel Nations League fixtures
Republic of Ireland winger Chiedozie Ogbene urged the public not to "put the pressure on us" over calls to boycott the upcoming Nations League matches against Israel after Thursday's 1-0 defeat by Kosovo in Pristina. He made the plea while reflecting on the loss and the wider debate surrounding the fixtures.
The sides are due to meet in Debrecen, Hungary on Sunday before a return fixture in Backa Topola, Serbia on 4 October, with both kick-offs scheduled for 19:45 BST; since being drawn together in Group B3 there have been growing calls in Ireland to withdraw, led by a 'Stop The Game' campaign. Stand-in captain Dara O'Shea said the players would meet on Friday to discuss their approach to Sunday's home-designated match for Israel, which will have no Irish fans in attendance and will be played behind closed doors the following week. The protests and campaign activity have dominated public discourse in the build-up to the fixtures.
"I'm aware of the feelings towards it," Ogbene told RTE Sport after Thursday's loss. "It's a complicated and very difficult task. I just want to say and I hope people don't put the pressure on us to be answering difficult situations. "There are people who can make the decisions and you can't rely on footballers to make those decisions. That's my feeling on it but as a group we will look at it and will see what we're going to do."
The political context of the boycott calls was set out in coverage ahead of the match: "The armed Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza, during which more than 73,000 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations (UN)."
Ogbene rejected the notion that the Israel fixtures explained Ireland's poor showing in Pristina, saying: "I know there is a lot of discussion about things like that, but we just tried to focus on Kosovo today. "All our mindset was on Kosovo to win this game and then deal with that's coming."
Heimir Hallgrimsson's side managed only two chances in the match; goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher produced several saves and Kosovo had efforts cleared off the line before Vedat Muriqi scored seven minutes from time to settle the contest. The result left Ireland with a 1-0 defeat to account for in the group.
Ogbene acknowledged the performance and his own missed opportunity in the first half, accepting "it wasn't good enough" and adding: "I thought we may have had enough quality to see it out at 0-0, but overall, it was poor from myself and poor from the standards we set ourselves. "I need to do more. I tried to focus on the ball and just mishit it, but I need to do better. "We're overly disappointed with the result but most of all the performance as it's not like us."
Ireland will face Israel in Debrecen on Sunday at 19:45 BST, with the return fixture in Backa Topola scheduled for 4 October at 19:45 BST; the squad's planned meeting on Friday is intended to determine how they will proceed regarding those fixtures.
