UEFA to investigate ‘Israeli’ player allegedly spitting on Irish staff

UEFA has appointed an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to probe an alleged spitting incident during Sunday’s UEFA Nations League match between the Republic of Ireland and ‘Israel’.

The game, which finished 1-1, was staged behind closed doors at a neutral venue in Bačka Topola, Serbia, on Sunday.

According to Irish media reports, Republic of Ireland head of athletic performance Damien Doyle alleged that an ‘Israeli’ player spat at him as the teams left the pitch for half-time near the tunnel at the TSC Arena.

Kicking off here at half time between Ireland and Israel. Allegations from Irish staff towards an Israeli could be heard inside the stadium. Referee comes over and tells everyone to “be clever” @offtheball https://t.co/fKFmYBVKIF

— Ben Symes (@bensymes01) October 4, 2026

Witnesses reported hearing Doyle accuse a player of the act, which sparked heated exchanges between the two squads before the match official intervened.

In an official statement, UEFA confirmed: “Following a review of the official reports which contained an allegation of an incident in or around the tunnel at half-time, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct the appropriate disciplinary investigation regarding potential misconducts from player(s) on the occasion of the UEFA Nations League 2027 League Phase match between Republic of Ireland and Israel, played on 4 October 2026 in Backa Topola, Serbia.”

Further details are expected in due course.

Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson declined to elaborate on the specific allegation after the match.

“I was there. I’m not going to comment. It’s something a disciplinary committee will look at,” he said.

He later added that the fixture had been tense: “I felt like they were trying to intimidate us from kick-off but I give a lot of credit to the players to stay calm. It could have been a game of yellow and red cards but we were composed.”

‘Israel’ coach Ran Ben-Shimon stated he had not witnessed the incident.

“Half-time, I was in the dressing room, in my room with my staff; I didn’t see anything. When I’m going to see and check, I will get back to you with the answer,” he told reporters.

The match took place amid significant political tensions linked to ‘Israel’s’ war on Gaza.

The Football Association of Ireland had relocated the fixture to Serbia following protests at home.

Neither side exchanged pre-match handshakes or pennants in either of their recent meetings, and both teams wore black armbands.

Ireland had won the first encounter 3-0 the previous week in Hungary.

Troy Parrott gave Ireland a first-half lead from the penalty spot before ‘Israel’ captain Dor Peretz equalised early in the second half.

Hallgrímsson later expressed relief that the two fixtures were over, while calling on UEFA to address the broader difficulties of the encounters.