Ireland fights for pure football against Israel in the Nations League

Next Sunday at 20:45, Ireland will face Israel in a Nations League duel. The match will be played at the neutral TSC Arena in Backa Topola, with no fans allowed. This means the focus remains primarily on the pure sporting event. Unlike the first leg, no major protest actions are announced.

Neutral venue and lack of fans

The Irish association justified the relocation to Serbia with organisational difficulties in staging the match in Ireland. UEFA approved the change of venue, so the duel will take place at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola. Fans will not be admitted, making the match a purely sporting event.

In the first leg on 27 September at the Hungarian Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Ireland won 3‑0 thanks to goals from Troy Parrott (13th minute), Adam Idah (16’) and Jack Moylan (25’). Irish goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu abstained from playing on conscience grounds, while the team did not offer a handshake to the opposing players. During the Israeli anthem the Irish lowered their heads and wore black mourning ribbons for the full 90 minutes to commemorate the victims of the Gaza war.

National coach Heimir Hallgrimsson now emphasizes a calmer tone. He said: “We are playing against Israel, we are playing against genocide. No one in the team feels comfortable taking part in these matches.” In an interview with the Irish broadcaster RTE he added: “The first match was so difficult for so many players.”

The Israeli association responded on social media with accusations of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy” towards the Irish allegations. Goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, who played in Germany for FC Bayern and Hamburger SV, commented after the first game: “It all stems from ignorance.” Captain Manor Solomon also said: “If I say what I think of them, I would probably be banned for some matches. Obviously they hate us.”

The conflict traces its roots to the attacks of 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed in Israel and over 250 were taken hostage to Gaza. Since then Israel has launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip, with the Hamas‑controlled health authority reporting more than 74,000 dead Palestinians. Since October 2025 a ceasefire has been in place, but it is repeatedly breached by deadly attacks.

Irish protest movements and political reactions

The “Irish Sport for Palestine Group”, a coalition of active and former Irish athletes, called for a boycott of both matches, invoking Ireland’s tradition of anti‑colonial and anti‑imperialist resistance. Prime Minister Micheál Martin backed Hallgrimsson, saying: “Israel cannot simply continue to deny what the rest of the world sees and what it thinks about it.” The coach himself admitted that his previous statements had been “not wise.”

Hallgrimsson hopes that the upcoming Sunday duel will be calmer and that attention will once again be focused more on the pure football action. He stressed that while the protests raise awareness, the real aim is a fair sporting competition.