Republic of Ireland to wear black armbands for Israel game
Republic of Ireland players intend to wear black armbands “in recognition of all lives lost in the Gaza conflict” for Sunday’s Nations League game against Israel in Hungary, after confirming they will go ahead with the fixture.
Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive David Courell confirmed one player has withdrawn from the squad before the match.
Courell added that a vote among the squad produced a “significant majority” in favour of playing.
In addition to the armbands, the players will make further gestures for the initial game and the return home fixture against Israel next Sunday in Serbia.
The fixtures have been embroiled in controversy since the two teams were drawn to play each other in Group B3.
Republic of Ireland players faced calls to withdraw from the games because of the ongoing Israel‑Gaza war with a “Stop The Game” campaign – organised by the pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine.
Courell said, “They also have the intention to wear black armbands in recognition of all lives lost in the Gaza conflict. There will be elements of the pre‑match ceremony not be partaken in by the Republic of Ireland and it is also the intention of the players to make a significant contribution to charitable donation by virtue of both match fees and the fixture against Austria at the Aviva.”
A pre‑match news conference with manager Heimir Hallgrimsson and a player was postponed just 15 minutes before it was scheduled to start, with reporters informed it would instead take place after the team’s training session.
The players were locked in a meeting at their hotel after a goalkeeper withdrew in protest with several others expressing concerns. At about 13:00 the squad began to filter out of the meeting room and the news conference was confirmed to go ahead at 14:30.
More than five hours after the initial conference was scheduled to begin, Courell – flanked by Hallgrimsson and FAI director of football John Martin – confirmed a player’s vote passed by a “significant majority” to play the game.
“I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle, therefore I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel,” the withdrawn goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu, posted on social media.
Hallgrimsson said: “The balance to play changed with this withdrawal and obviously it was an ongoing discussion but we came to a conclusion and the game is going ahead. We will train and there will probably be more discussions tonight and probably tomorrow. It’s a unique situation and we are just trying to limit the damage.”
Former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr and ex‑international James McClean backed calls for a boycott of the fixtures.
The armed Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in more than 73,000 casualties according to Hamas‑run health ministries.
The Irish boss said the preparation for Sunday’s game would affect the players and that they would need to “limit the damage” for Irish football.
The Irish government spokesperson insisted that any decision regarding the fixtures lies firmly at the door of the FAI and UEFA.
Israel FA’s Shlomi Barzel praised the Irish for confirming they would play, saying “football has won”. He stressed the separation between football and politics must be maintained and that players will shake hands before the match.
Barzel also confirmed Israel Football Association intends to appeal both yellow cards issued to Sayed Abu Farhi in Thursday’s 3‑1 defeat by Austria.
