"Why are you lying?" BBC criticized for report on Israel
A scandal erupted at a press conference ahead of the Israel-Ireland match: an Irish association representative took the microphone from an Israeli journalist who asked about racist insults. BBC and Al Jazeera presented the incident differently, drawing criticism from British journalist David Collier, who accused the BBC of lying.
A scandal at the press conference ahead of the Israel and Ireland national teams' match has gone beyond football. Correspondent for the Israeli sports channel Moti Pshachtzi asked Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrímsson about some Irish players calling Israeli footballers "monkeys" during a previous match. A representative of the Irish Football Association stood up, did not let the journalist finish his question, and physically took the microphone from him, after which the press conference was interrupted. International media, including the BBC and Al Jazeera, presented the incident differently, describing the situation as if the journalist had "verbally attacked" the coach and refused to hand over the microphone. British journalist and researcher David Collier, known for his pro-Israel stance, accused the BBC of lying. The Guardian used the more neutral expression "tempers flare." The previous meeting ended with Israel losing 3-0, the Irish refused to shake hands, and wore black armbands in memory of "those killed in Gaza."