‘Israeli’ players say Italy players cursed at them "the whole game” during World Cup qualifier

A dramatic 5-4 victory for Italy over ‘Israel’ in a 2026 World Cup qualifier on Monday was overshadowed by a heated confrontation between players and coaching staff after the final whistle.

Read more: Campaign in Italy calls for “Red Card” against 'Israel' ahead of football match

The post-match scuffle followed a match-long pattern of alleged verbal abuse from the Italian side, according to ‘Israeli’ players.

The high-scoring match, which took place on neutral ground in Hungary due to ongoing geopolitical tensions, ended with a 91st-minute winner from Italy's Sandro Tonali.

Immediately after the goal, a quarrel erupted on the pitch, reportedly initiated by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma who was said to have mocked several ‘Israeli’ players.

The situation quickly escalated, drawing in players from both teams and requiring the intervention of technical staff to prevent a full-scale brawl.

‘Israeli’ players told local media that their Italian counterparts had "cursed at us the whole game," claiming the continuous harassment was what led to the post-match incident.

Reports also allege that Italy's head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, was involved in the altercation, supposedly telling ‘Israeli’ forward Dor Turgeman to "shut your mouth, little s**t".

In the aftermath, conflicting accounts emerged. Hebrew media reported that "several members of the Italian delegation apologised to the Israeli team" for the behavior of their players.

However, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) sources informally denied that any apology was made, stating there was "nothing to apologise for". The FIGC has not issued an official statement on the incident.