The shameful protest being considered by the Ireland national team during a match against Israel

Ireland national team captain Dara O'Shea revealed that the squad will convene to decide on a political protest against Israel in the Nations League, including a refusal to shake hands. Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson has backed away from his inflammatory statement about 'genocide'. The Israeli association is prepared for provocation.

Ireland national team captain Dara O'Shea revealed in a press conference that the squad players will hold a special meeting on Friday to decide on an overt political protest against the Israel national team in the Nations League. Among the steps being considered: a demonstrative refusal to shake hands with Israeli players during the match opening ceremony. O'Shea said, 'This is a difficult and unusual situation for us, and it's important that we make a decision together.' Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson was forced to partially backtrack from his previous statement in which he claimed his team would 'play against genocide', admitting that 'from a leadership perspective, it wasn't smart'. The Israel Football Association responded with a sharp attack against the coach. The two matches between the teams will be held on September 27 and October 4 at neutral venues in Hungary and Serbia. Israel is considering canceling the official delegation dinner and filing a complaint over the mixing of politics.