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Decision by vote: Ireland will play, the match with Israel goes ahead tomorrow

Tense hours in Hungary at the Republic of Ireland camp after several players said they did not want to play tomorrow's Nations League match against Israel at the neutral venue in Debrecen.


According to ANSA, after lengthy discussions the Football Association of Ireland held a vote among the players and the majority said they were in favour of tomorrow's match going ahead and also of the one scheduled for a week's time, which will also be played at a neutral venue, in Serbia.


The decision did not come easily, with press conferences first postponed and then effectively cancelled, after the national team's reserve goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu, told the squad that he did not want to play.


  • According to Irish media reports, other players had also considered following the goalkeeper's example and refusing to take to the pitch, prompting the federation to put the matter to a vote.


    After the scheduled training session was called off, the team spent a long time in talks with head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, who in recent days had taken a clear stance against the opponents: "We are not playing with genocide, we are playing against genocide," words to which the Tel Aviv football federation responded harshly by accusing the coach of "stupidity and ignorance".

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