Hallgrimsson says Ireland will learn from Israel-fixture fallout as focus turns to Austria

Hallgrimsson acknowledges a difficult period for Ireland

Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson says the national team and the Football Association of Ireland will learn from the controversy surrounding the decision to play Israel, as he attempts to steer attention back to football before Thursday’s Nations League match against Austria.

The build-up to the Group B3 fixture at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium has been dominated by the fallout from Ireland’s 3-0 win over Israel on Sunday and the troubled lead-up to that match in Debrecen. The debate continued as players prepared to face Austria, with protests also expected around the decision to fulfil a second fixture against Israel, scheduled for Sunday in Serbia.

‘We will all look back and be better afterwards’

Hallgrimsson described the period as “challenging” for him as a leader and said the FAI, as well as he personally, would reflect on decisions made during the process.

“I would think the Association would learn from these events like I will learn from them,” he said. “I think we will all look back and be better afterwards, the same for the FAI.”

He added that decisions made under pressure can look different in retrospect, saying: “Probably, they will look back and think ‘we should have done this or said this’ but in real time, you tend to make some wrong decisions.” He lamented that the pre-match discussion had been consumed by the controversy rather than the Austria game.

Debate over the players’ decision continues

The FAI has faced criticism over its handling of the issue. On Saturday, players voted to fulfil the Israel fixtures after goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made himself unavailable. The vote was not unanimous; FAI chief executive David Courell described the result as a “significant majority” in favour of playing.

Former Ireland manager Brian Kerr, a supporter of boycotting the matches, said Bazunu had been “feeling quite low and shunned by some of the players and by the FAI”. Hallgrimsson declined to respond directly, saying he had not fully read or heard Kerr’s remarks. He cautioned that social media can intensify pressure and said people with strong views must also be willing to listen to others.

An open letter from the “Stop The Game” campaign, organised by Irish Sport for Palestine, called for a boycott of Sunday’s match in Backa Topola, citing the Israel-Gaza war. Protests have continued during the week, while FAI board members appeared before the Oireachtas Sports Committee on Wednesday to address the handling of the saga.

Manager says he is not a political expert

Hallgrimsson also addressed the response to his earlier comments about the conflict. The Israel Football Association accused him of “ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity” after he said: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide.” He said the experience had been a learning process for him as a coach and leader, while stressing that his immediate responsibility was to concentrate on football.

“There is a lot we have gone through that we will reflect on when all of this is finished,” he said. “That is why I’m trying to focus on football now as that’s my job. Then I can reflect on how I am as a human being and a leader.”

Israel has denied committing genocide and says its military campaign in Gaza is conducted in self-defence and in accordance with international law. The conflict began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages; the article reports that more than 73,000 people have since been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the United Nations considers reliable.