Ireland coach: "None of us feel comfortable playing against Israel"

Ireland national football team coach Heimir Hallgrímsson admitted that he and his players feel discomfort ahead of the two matches against Israel in the Nations League. Hallgrímsson held personal conversations with his players on the issue, amid calls to boycott the matches in the country. The matches will be held at neutral venues without spectators.

Ireland national football team coach Heimir Hallgrímsson admitted that he and his players feel significant discomfort ahead of the upcoming two matches against the Israeli national team in the Nations League. Hallgrímsson said he chose to hold personal conversations with each of his squad members on the issue, rather than holding a group discussion. According to him, although different players have different opinions and positions with varying levels of intensity, once the decision to play was made, the entire team will remain united. The two meetings will be held at neutral venues due to the security situation. Israel's home match will take place in Hungary on September 27, and the return match in Ireland will be held in Serbia on October 4. The Irish Football Association confirmed that the home match will be held without spectators. The association's football director, John Martin, noted that the matches have created an uncomfortable situation for everyone. The decision to hold the matches was made in July at a general meeting of the Irish Football Association, out of fear that a boycott would lead to significant and long-term damage. The decision faced heavy public pressure from the "Stop the Game" campaign by the Irish Sport for Palestine organization, which called for a boycott and received support from former player James McClean and former coach Brian Kerr. The background to these events is the war in Gaza, which began after the Hamas attack on October 7, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken.