Republic of Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in Debrecen after players snub handshakes in protest-hit Nations League tie
Republic of Ireland earned a commanding 3-0 victory over Israel in their controversial Uefa Nations League Group B3 fixture at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday — a match played under some of the most intense political scrutiny ever attached to an international football game.
Goals from Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Jack Moylan sealed the win for Heimir Hallgrimsson's side at the neutral venue, but the result was always likely to be overshadowed by the furore that has surrounded the fixture since the two teams were drawn together in February.
No handshakes, bowed heads and black armbands
The Republic of Ireland players made their feelings clear even before kick-off. After walking on to the pitch, the squad stood for their national anthem and bowed their heads while Israel's anthem was played. There was no traditional exchange of handshakes between the two teams before or after the game, and there was no exchange of pennants between Republic of Ireland captain Dara O'Shea and Israel skipper Manor Solomon, who did not shake hands.
The Irish players wore black armbands, which Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive David Courell said was a gesture "in recognition of all lives lost in the [Gaza] conflict". The FAI confirmed no tickets would be sold to Republic of Ireland supporters, although a handful of fans were spotted inside the stadium, and the Ireland squad was jeered by the small number of Israel fans in attendance when they emerged for their pre-game warm-up.
Moylan's emotional celebration
After scoring the Republic of Ireland's third goal, Jack Moylan removed his black armband, kissed it and then kissed his team's badge — an emotional gesture that summed up the mood surrounding the fixture.
Squad vote and Bazunu withdrawal
Whether the game would even go ahead remained in doubt until late on Saturday. The players voted to fulfil the fixture by a "significant majority" during a lengthy meeting at the team's hotel in Debrecen, after which the pre-match news conference held by the FAI finally got under way more than five hours behind schedule. Courell confirmed at that point that the Republic of Ireland would not engage in pre-match formalities such as handshakes.
Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was the only player to opt out. Later on Saturday he confirmed he had withdrawn from the squad, saying he felt it "would be wrong to participate" in Sunday's game and in the return fixture against Israel in the Serbian town of Backa Topola on 4 October.
'One of the most challenging weeks'
Speaking to RTE before kick-off, head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson spoke openly about the toll the scrutiny has taken on him and his young squad. "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. It is situations we haven't been in before," he said.
"When we are in these positions we hope we take more right decisions than wrong but you never get everything correct. I feel for the players, a lot of young players in this squad that we need to take good care of. Honestly, there are a lot of players who have mixed emotions for this game and it is our job to protect all of them."
Hallgrimsson added: "As you can expect, the preparation has been probably as bad as it can be so I just hope the players come and do a good performance. We are here to play football, they are footballers and I hope they can enjoy that at least."
Row over 'genocide' comments
Tensions between the two associations escalated during the week after the Israel Football Association accused Hallgrimsson of "ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity" following the coach's comment that "we're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide". Speaking on Saturday, Hallgrimsson said it was "a wrong word for me to use", while Israel FA head of communications Shlomi Barzel said he would not apologise for his association's response but would "take back the word stupidity".
A deepening controversy
The fixtures have been embroiled in controversy since February, with Republic of Ireland players facing calls to withdraw because of the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. A "Stop The Game" campaign, organised by the pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine, gathered pace in the weeks before the match, and earlier this week more than 160 Irish athletes signed an open letter urging the team not to play.
The FAI has faced pressure from all sides throughout. In November, it approved a motion calling for Uefa to suspend Israel from competitions; in May, the team's friendly against Qatar was interrupted after fans threw tennis balls featuring the Palestinian flag onto the pitch; and in June the FAI confirmed the home fixture would be played behind closed doors in Backa Topola instead of Dublin's Aviva Stadium, citing "operational challenges that could impact on the delivery of the game on home soil". At an extraordinary general meeting in July, delegates backed an FAI motion to proceed with the games amid concerns that boycotting the fixtures would cause "significant and lasting harm" for the association. Courell also revealed that Uefa had rejected a request for the Republic of Ireland and Israel to be kept apart in future competition draws.
The context of the war loomed over everything: 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 in which more than 73,000 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. Israel has repeatedly denied that it has committed genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity, saying its operations in Gaza have been conducted in self-defence and in accordance with international law.