The Republic of Ireland players refused to shake hands with their Israeli counterparts ahead of Sunday’s UEFA Nations League match at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Hungary.
The Irish players also bowed their heads during Israel’s national anthem before the game, which took place amid controversy and calls for Ireland to withdraw from the fixture over the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. Following the national anthems, the two teams did not line up for the traditional pre-match handshakes, while there was also no exchange of pennants.
Republic of Ireland captain Dara O’Shea did not shake hands with Israel captain Manor Solomon during the coin toss before kick-off. The fixture had faced uncertainty until Saturday following a campaign by Irish Sport for Palestine calling for the match to be abandoned. However, the Republic of Ireland squad voted during a meeting at their team hotel to fulfil the fixture.
Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu subsequently withdrew from the squad, saying he believed it “would be wrong to participate” in the match and the return fixture scheduled for October 4 in Serbia. The Football Association of Ireland confirmed that the players would wear black armbands “in recognition of all lives lost in the [Gaza] conflict”.
Former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott gave Ireland an early lead and made a heart gesture with his hands during his celebration.
Adam Idah and Jack Moylan also scored as Ireland raced into a 3-0 lead midway through the first half. After scoring Ireland’s third goal, Moylan held up and kissed the black armband he was wearing. Ireland went on to secure a 3-0 victory.
Speaking before the match, Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson described the build-up as one of the most challenging weeks he had experienced as a coach. “It’s been one of the most challenging weeks for me as a coach and I guess it is the same for most of the players,” Hallgrimsson said. “There are a lot of players who have mixed emotions for this game and it is our job to protect all of them.”
He added that the team was in Hungary to play football and expressed hope that his players could focus on their performance despite the circumstances surrounding the fixture. Ireland entered the match after losing 1-0 to Kosovo in their opening Nations League fixture, while Israel had suffered a 3-1 defeat to Austria.