Ireland’s players wore black armbands and refused pre-match handshakes before beating Israel 3-0 in Debrecen, Hungary, in a fixture that faced months of pressure to boycott.
Ireland’s players wore black armbands and refused pre-match handshakes before beating Israel 3-0 in Debrecen, Hungary, in a fixture that faced months of pressure to boycott.
The Republic of Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in a UEFA Nations League match in Hungary on Sunday, in a fixture that was as much about protest as football, with Irish players wearing black armbands, declining to shake hands with their opponents and bowing their heads during the Israeli national anthem.
The match, played at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, came after months of pressure in Ireland urging the national team to boycott its two fixtures against Israel over the war in Gaza. Since May, leading Irish footballers had joined a campaign run by Irish Sport for Palestine, and more than 160 Irish athletes signed an open letter asking the Football Association of Ireland to reconsider playing the games. The FAI ultimately decided the match would go ahead, with chief executive David Courell confirming the decision after hours of talks and a vote among the squad. He said players would wear black armbands “in recognition of all lives lost in the conflict.”
The gestures were agreed in advance. Israel was told by the FAI that Ireland’s players would not shake hands, and UEFA accepted the arrangement. On the pitch, the Irish team looked down with hands behind their backs as the Israeli anthem played, and captain Dara O’Shea shook hands with the referee and match officials at the pre-match meeting but made no attempt to greet Israel captain Manor Solomon. There was also no customary exchange of pennants. O’Shea has separately pledged to donate all of his earnings from the match to aid for Gaza.
The football itself was largely one-sided. Troy Parrott broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, Adam Idah doubled the lead three minutes later, and Jack Moylan added a third before the break, all in front of a sparse crowd in the 20,340-seater stadium. It was Ireland’s first win of their Nations League campaign under manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, after a 1-0 defeat in Kosovo on Thursday. Israel had chances in the second half, with Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher making a leaping save to deny Dor Peretz, who had taken over the Israeli captain’s armband, and a second fingertip stop from a long-range effort.
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The build-up was not without casualties. First-choice goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu left the squad for both games on the eve of the match, saying he was acting on his “personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.” He added that his stance was not directed against the Israeli people or the Jewish community, but against what he described as atrocities in the region. He was the only player to publicly opt out after the FAI confirmed Ireland would take part.
The atmosphere around the ground reflected how unusual the fixture was. Only a small number of Israeli fans were present, and there were not supposed to be any Irish supporters at all. Some Ireland fans who had obtained tickets through the Israeli federation told broadcaster RTE that their tickets were cancelled before the game. A few Israeli supporters heckled Irish players during the match.
Sunday’s game capped a long and tangled political run-up. The FAI had earlier joined the football federations of Norway and Turkey in calling for Israel to be banned from UEFA competition, a proposal that was ultimately rejected. Ireland then accepted the fixtures anyway, with the association noting that UEFA rules would mean a forfeited match and possible further disciplinary measures, up to disqualification from the competition, if it refused to play. The Irish home fixture was later moved to a neutral venue with no fans present. Separately, UEFA had reportedly been moving toward a vote on suspending Israel over the war but paused the effort, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said no action would be taken against the Israeli team.
Israel rejects allegations of genocide in Gaza and says its military campaign followed the Hamas-led attack of October 2023. Ireland has been among the most outspoken European critics of Israel’s conduct in the war, which is why the pairing in the same Nations League group drew so much attention from the moment the draw was made.
Ireland and Israel are due to meet again in the return fixture, with the same questions about protest, boycott and neutrality likely to resurface. For now, the Irish players have won the points and made their statement, while the wider debate over whether Israel should be playing in European competition remains unresolved.
Ireland’s players wore black armbands and refused pre-match handshakes before beating Israel 3-0 in Debrecen, Hungary, in a fixture that faced months of pressure to boycott.
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