Ireland are in chaos. For months the national team, driven by their own fans, had been threatening to boycott the Nations League match, valid for matchday two of League B Group 2, against Israel. "Human reasons" and "solidarity with the Palestinian people", said the many demonstrators who gathered at the players' training camp in Dublin on the eve of their departure for the double away trip against Kosovo and, precisely, Israel, a match scheduled in Debrecen, Hungary.
THE CONDEMNATION - Politically, Ireland have firmly condemned Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip. "Sport runs into difficulty when it clashes with politics," Prime Minister Micheal Martin said at the time of the draw, explaining that "as a nation we have firmly condemned the policy of the Israeli government".
THE RISK OF DISQUALIFICATION - That led the Irish FA to initially decide to boycott the Nations League match scheduled for Sunday. The problem is that the defeat on matchday one away to Kosovo has left the Green national team with their backs to the wall: another defeat, awarded by default, could cost Eire dearly. At that point they would seriously risk relegation to League C, as well as heavy sanctions from UEFA, coming just after Euro 2028, of which Ireland are one of the host countries (together with England, Wales and Scotland).
THE VOTES AND THE REBELS - Head coach Heimer Hallgrimsson decided to 'call' the dressing room together and put the issue to a vote: the majority of the players are said to have decided to take to the pitch, despite reservations over their opponents' participation in the competition. But a group of Irish players are ready to refuse to take to the pitch: leading the 'minority' defeated in the vote is second-choice goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, born in Dublin but of Nigerian origin, who chose not to train, stay at the hotel and ask the head coach and federation for clarification. Now anything can happen.