Ireland players refuse handshake and bow heads during Israeli anthem in Nations League controversy | OneFootball

Ireland players refused to shake hands and bowed their heads during Israel’s anthem at a Nations League match, having taken the field wearing black armbands in memory of lives lost in the conflict.

According to Superdeporte, the squad debated for hours at their hotel over whether to play, eventually voting to go ahead, while goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu left the camp. The tribute was understood to refer to Gaza.

Customary pre-match courtesies were abandoned, with no handshakes between teams and even the captains declining to greet each other before kick-off when deciding who would take kick-off.

Before kick-off, head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson described it as one of the hardest weeks of his career and for many players. He had already expressed regret for using the word genocide about the opposition. He added that several in the group felt torn and that perfect decisions were impossible, stressing his empathy.

Pressure in Ireland to boycott the game was intense. The federation moved the fixture from Dublin to Debrecen in Hungary, but did not cancel it due to fears of UEFA reprisals. Hallgrimsson said many in the squad were very young and that staff tried to support them.

The stadium was sparsely populated, with no travelling Irish support and the national broadcaster not sending commentators. Around 150 Israeli fans waved flags and made themselves heard early on, but once play began Ireland raced into a 0-3 lead.

Source: Superdeporte

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”