DEBRECEN, September 26 — The Republic of Ireland will play its UEFA Nations League fixture against Israel on Sunday in the Hungarian city of Debrecen, the Football Association of Ireland confirmed on Saturday, after a squad vote ended a day of delay and deliberation that had left the match in doubt. The fixture had been overshadowed by politics and protest linked to the Israel-Gaza war.
Saturday’s pre-match press conference and team training were pushed back by several hours as players and management met to decide whether to fulfil the fixture at all.
A vote, and a decision to travel
FAI chief executive David Courell, speaking at a press conference in quotes carried by the Irish Independent, said an extensive conversation had taken place on Friday in which the consensus of the group was to travel to Hungary. That meeting lasted two hours. On Saturday morning, an unnamed player expressed discomfort to the head coach and indicated an intent to withdraw from the squad.
Courell described this as a new variable that required time and deliberation, leading to another four hours of conversation, mainly with players but at times with staff and the executive. A lot of positions were presented, he said, and the association was fully respectful of everyone’s right to have an opinion on these topics.
Ultimately, within the last 90 minutes, a squad vote was carried out on fulfilling the fixtures. A significant majority voted to play, and the association took the decision to fulfil them. Courell added that players planned to wear black armbands during Sunday’s game, would not take part in elements of the pre-match ceremony, and would make a significant charitable donation.
Hallgrimsson: playing is not accepting
Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson addressed the squad’s position directly. “By playing, we are not accepting what is happening,” he said. “If a player enters the field tomorrow, he is not accepting what is happening in Gaza.
If I can share the feelings of the players, they feel like they are doing something wrong playing this game from Ireland. That is not a good feeling.
We want to make clear we are not supporting anything happening in Gaza, we are playing this fixture because that is the rule of the competition we are in.” The FAI had overwhelmingly approved a motion in December calling on UEFA to ban Israel from its competitions, before the teams were drawn against each other in the Nations League in February. The association voted to play the fixture due to the likely disciplinary sanctions from UEFA, and faced protests and calls for a boycott from politicians and fans.
The decision was made to play the Republic of Ireland’s home game in Backa Topola, Serbia instead of Dublin, with tickets not made available to Ireland fans. In the build-up to the fixture, Hallgrimsson said his team would be “playing against genocide” when the two sides meet.
The Israel Football Association responded, saying: “We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, we’re playing against the coach who embodies them.” The second fixture in Serbia is due to take place on October 4.
The wider picture
The latest conflict in Gaza began after Israel responded to attacks by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, which saw around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, killed in Israel and 250 taken hostage. The war has subsequently seen 73,000 people killed by Israel, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry and used by the UN. Against this backdrop, Sunday’s match in Debrecen will be watched as much for what happens around the pitch as on it.
The armbands, the altered pre-match ceremony and the charitable donation are the visible markers of a squad that has chosen to play under protest rather than withdraw. What is at stake now is how UEFA receives those gestures, and whether the October 4 return fixture in Serbia passes without further disruption.
