On Saturday, the Republic of Ireland’s national football squad voted to honour a UEFA Nations League fixture against Israel, even as goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the match over concerns about the war in Gaza. The decision was announced in Debrecen, Hungary, where the game is set to take place on Sunday.
“We carried out a vote amongst the squad to establish their sentiment on fulfilling the fixtures,” said Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief David Courell. “It was a significant majority that was returned with the intention to continue. Based on that, the association took the decision on behalf of Irish football, that this fixture would continue as we have always intended to fulfil the fixtures.”
Ireland will play two Nations League ties against Israel. The first, officially Israel’s home match, will be held at a neutral venue in Hungary, while the second will take place in Backa Topola, Serbia, after the original Aviva Stadium venue in Dublin was moved due to security concerns.
In a statement on Instagram, 24‑year‑old Bazunu said, “I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel. My decision is based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.” The goalkeeper’s withdrawal followed protests from Irish sports figures, fan groups and pro‑Palestinian campaigners.
Ireland has long expressed support for the Palestinian cause, a stance linked to its own history of British rule. Dublin, along with Spain and Norway, formally recognised a Palestinian state in 2024 and has repeatedly criticised Israel over the Gaza conflict.
The Israeli Football Association responded with a statement that “football has won, the separation between football and politics must be maintained.” It added, “The ones who have certainly lost today are those who wanted to intimidate, to separate and to turn the football pitch into a political arena.”
Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said, “Nobody is comfortable playing these games for many reasons. We are trying to tackle it in the best way we can at the moment.” Players will not fulfil any media duties before the match against Austria in Dublin on October 1, nor around the Israel game in Serbia three days later. They will wear black armbands “for all lives lost in the conflict,” and profits from the Austria game will be donated to charity. In a related move, national broadcaster RTE confirmed it will again boycott the Eurovision Song Contest next year because of Israel’s participation and will show the Israel game without Irish commentary or pundits.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
