Gideon Saar condemns Ireland over black armbands before Nations League match | OneFootball

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar condemned Ireland ahead of Sunday’s Nations League meeting over the team’s plan to wear black armbands. According to L'Équipe, he posted his message on X shortly before kick-off.

The match between Israel and Ireland ended 0-3 in Debrecen, Hungary. It was played in front of largely empty stands and passed without major incident. Players from both sides did not shake hands before the game or after the final whistle.

Saar said Ireland was on the wrong side of history, a remark that stirred diplomatic tensions between the countries.

In the same post he resurfaced a 1939 photograph of the Ireland team giving the Nazi salute before a 1-1 friendly against Germany in Bremen. He argued that while they saluted then, now they were siding with Palestinian terrorism.

The armbands were worn in solidarity with victims of the Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza. Saar claimed the gesture was effectively overshadowed by a black jihadist flag.

Source: L'Équipe

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