Ireland players vote for 'Israel' match to go ahead after boycott threat

• Ireland players held lengthy discussions before voting on whether to participate in two Nations League matches against Israel.
• The Football Association of Ireland said a “significant majority” voted to continue, after one player expressed an intention to withdraw from the squad.

Ireland’s players voted Saturday to continue participating in their upcoming Nations League matches against ‘Israel’, despite mounting pressure to boycott the fixtures over the war in Gaza.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said the vote followed more than five hours of discussions among players at their team hotel in Debrecen, Hungary, where Ireland is due to face ‘Israel’ on Sunday.

David Courell, the FAI’s chief executive, said a player had told head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson that they were uncomfortable participating in the match and intended to withdraw from the squad.

“As you can understand, this new variable required time and deliberation for the rest of the squad to consider,” Courell told reporters at a delayed press conference.

Courell said the players subsequently held a vote, with a “significant majority” supporting continued participation.

“Based on that, the association took the decision on behalf of Irish football that this fixture would continue as we have always intended to fulfill the fixtures,” he said.

Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was reportedly among those opposed to playing and is believed to have left the squad, although the FAI did not identify the player during the press conference.

Hallgrimsson said the rest of the squad had trained and that discussions would continue.

“It’s an ongoing discussion and we haven’t come to a kind of conclusion on this, but we are going ahead, the game is going ahead, we’re going to train,” he said.

The dispute comes amid growing calls in Ireland for the team to boycott the two matches against ‘Israel’ over its actions in Gaza.

Ireland is scheduled to play ‘Israel’ in Debrecen on Sunday before hosting the second fixture in Backa Topola, Serbia, on October 4.

More than 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter calling on the FAI to reconsider its decision to participate in the matches.

Protesters have also demonstrated outside the team’s hotel in Dublin, while Ireland’s SIPTU trade union displayed a large poster in central Dublin urging players to “Go with your conscience” and not play the fixtures.

Ireland midfielder Jason Knight previously said the players were in a difficult position and expressed his view that the matches should not go ahead.

Hallgrimsson has also previously said: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against ‘Israel’, we’re not playing with ‘Israel’.”

The comments prompted a strong response from the ‘Israeli’ Football Association, which accused the coach of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy.”

The FAI has resisted calls for a boycott, citing the possibility of sanctions from UEFA.

Ireland is due to co-host the 2028 European Championship with England, Wales and Scotland.

Former Ireland coach Brian Kerr criticized the FAI’s decision to proceed with the matches, saying the association had “lost the respect of the Irish people.”

UEFA has been asked for comment on Saturday’s developments.