{"id":6999,"date":"2026-10-04T21:53:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T21:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=6999"},"modified":"2026-10-04T21:53:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T21:53:13","slug":"ireland-refuse-handshake-with-israel-and-don-armbands-in-nations-league-tie-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=6999","title":{"rendered":"Ireland refuse handshake with Israel and don armbands in Nations League tie | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ireland players again wore black armbands in recognition of Palestinians killed in Gaza and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem before the teams\u2019 second UEFA Nations League football match on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The League 3 Group B match ended in a 1-1 draw and, despite being played behind closed doors and on neutral ground, was once again played out in a confrontational manner.<\/p>\n

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Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher stepped in as captain for Dara O\u2019Shea, who was excused to be with his wife for the birth of their child, and pointedly avoided shaking hands with Israel captain Dor Peretz, despite completing the usual pre-match formality with the referee and one of his assistants.<\/p>\n

Kelleher\u2019s action was a repeat of O\u2019Shea\u2019s, who refused to shake Israel captain Manor Solomon\u2019s hand before the first match in Debrecen, Hungary, last week. Ireland went on to win that game 3-0<\/a> through three first-half goals.<\/p>\n

Solomon was dropped to the bench for Sunday\u2019s match in Backa Topola, Serbia. Israel forward Sayed Abu Farchi was back in the squad after serving a suspension for getting sent off following his gun-simulation<\/a> goal celebration during Israel\u2019s 3-1 defeat to Austria on September 25.<\/p>\n

Finn Azaz, whose mother has Israeli heritage, was among the Irish substitutes after playing from the start against Austria on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Troy Parrott\u2019s penalty in the 39th minute, after a foul by Peretz on Jimmy Dunne, gave Ireland a 1-0 halftime lead. A disagreement also broke out on the sidelines as the players made their way off the field for the interval, although the referee quickly intervened.<\/p>\n

Peretz secured a point for Israel with a poked effort from close range in the 47th minute.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s game was initially supposed to be played in Dublin, but the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) moved it to a neutral venue for \u201coperational reasons\u201d in June following widespread calls for a boycott in protest of Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza. The FAI said the game would be played with no fans present.<\/p>\n

It followed the FAI\u2019s motion the previous November calling on UEFA to ban Israel from club and international competitions.<\/p>\n

All the Irish players had been under pressure from home \u2013 where affinity with Palestinians is strong \u2013 to boycott the second match against Israel, though the pressure was greater during the first game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt that pressure growing day by day, and it\u2019s getting almost to a breaking limit now,\u201d Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said at the time.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, only reserve goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu decided to skip both of the contentious games, saying in a statement that it was his \u201cpersonal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n

More than 160 Irish sportspeople had signed an open letter urging the FAI to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the two games.<\/p>\n

Before the departure for Hungary, people protested outside the team hotel in Dublin for the players to boycott the matches. The SIPTU trade union displayed a huge poster in central Dublin beside the River Liffey asking the players to \u201cGo with your conscience!\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t play with genocide\u201d beside an image of a blood-splattered ball.<\/p>\n

Former Ireland coach Brian Kerr said the FAI had \u201clost the respect of the Irish people\u201d for going ahead with the games.<\/p>\n

But the FAI argued UEFA could sanction the team. Ireland is cohosting the 2028 European Championship with England, Wales and Scotland.<\/p>\n

Protesters threw tennis balls with Palestinian flags onto the field during Ireland\u2019s 2-2 draw with Austria on Thursday. A man with a Palestinian flag also tried running onto the field.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, an Israeli journalist stated during the pre-match news conference that the Irish players had called the Israeli players \u201cmonkeys\u201d during last week\u2019s game, leading to an immediate rebuke from Irish communications officer Kieran Crowley, who said it was \u201ca lie\u201d and ended the news conference.<\/p>\n

The players had only decided to go ahead with the fixtures after a dramatic day in Debrecen before the first match, when both the news conference and training were delayed for hours while they deliberated. They reportedly voted 14-8 in favour of continuing after Bazunu\u2019s withdrawal that morning.<\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s national broadcaster RT\u00c9 was only providing stripped-back coverage of both games against Israel to meet contractual obligations. There was no studio presentation, commentary on the international feed, or analysis. RT\u00c9 said it was not accepting advertising or sponsorship around either game.<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 also recently announced that Ireland will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for a second year due to Israel\u2019s participation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Ireland players again wore black armbands in recognition of Palestinians killed in Gaza and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem before the teams\u2019 second UEFA Nations League football match on Sunday. The League 3 Group B match ended in a 1-1 draw and, despite being played behind closed doors and on neutral ground,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t