The Republic of Ireland defeated Israel 3-0 in a Nations League match played at a neutral venue in Hungary on Saturday, Sept. 26. Irish players wore black mourning bands on their sleeves and bowed their heads during Israel’s anthem. The captains did not take part in the customary pre-match handshake.
Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson said the players had voted to play while making a protest over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. They held a lengthy meeting at their hotel in Debrecen the day before the game. Football Association of Ireland chief executive David Courell said the vote to play passed by a significant majority. Ireland’s pre-match news conference was delayed by more than five hours because of the team meeting.
Hallgrímsson told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that the players had “drawn the attention of the whole world” and said he hoped they would not need to repeat the gesture at the next match. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu declined to play Israel, saying he believed doing so would be wrong. Hallgrímsson said Bazunu would be included for Ireland’s match against Austria in Dublin on Oct. 1, but not for the return match against Israel. After scoring Ireland’s third goal, Jack Moylan removed and kissed his black armband, then kissed the Irish crest on his shirt.
The FAI said the black bands recognized all lives lost in the Gaza conflict. The Stop the Game campaign, organized by Irish Sport for Palestine, has called for a boycott; more than 160 Irish athletes signed an open letter urging the national team not to play Israel. In June, the FAI confirmed the return fixture would be held in Bačka Topola, Serbia, rather than Dublin, citing operational challenges. Ireland is the formal home side for the Oct. 4 match, and both fixtures are being played at neutral venues.
Controversy had surrounded the fixtures since the Nations League groups were drawn. Last November, the FAI backed a motion calling on UEFA to suspend Israel from competitions under its authority. At a special general meeting in July, delegates nevertheless decided to play, citing concern that a boycott could cause “significant and lasting damage” to Irish football. UEFA also rejected a request to keep Ireland and Israel apart in future competition draws.
Before the match, Hallgrímsson said, “We don’t play with genocide, we play against genocide.” He later acknowledged that he had used the wrong word. The Israel Football Association accused him of “ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity.” Its spokesperson, Shlomi Barzel, said the association would not apologize for its response but would withdraw the word “stupidity.” Ireland’s broadcaster RTÉ boycotted the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation and announced it would also boycott the next contest.
The wider context is the war that followed Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel then launched a major military offensive in Gaza. More than 73,000 people have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run Health Ministry; the United Nations considers its figures reliable. Israel denies committing genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity and says its military operations are self-defense and comply with international law.