Ireland players wear black armbands and refrain from handshakes in soccer game against Israel
DEBRECEN, Hungary — There were no handshakes between Ireland and Israel players before their contentious Nations League match on Sunday, with the Irish team wearing black armbands.
The game has faced bitter opposition in Ireland over Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The Irish players looked down at the grass with their hands behind their backs during the playing of the Israeli national anthem, and Irish captain Dara O’Shea approached the center of the field for the pre-match talk with his hands still firmly clasped behind his back.
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O’Shea shook hands with the referee and his assistants but there was no attempt to shake the hand of Israel captain Manor Solomon.
Reserve goalkeeper Gavin Bazuno decided Saturday to boycott both of Ireland’s games against Israel because of what he said was his “personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.”
There was a small group of Israeli fans in the otherwise almost-empty stadium in Debrecen, Hungary, but an even smaller group of around 10 people without colors were celebrating when Troy Parrott broke the deadlock in the 13th minute.
There weren’t supposed to be any Irish fans present. Some Ireland supporters who managed to get tickets through the Israeli soccer federation told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that those had been canceled Saturday night.
Adam Idah made it 2-0 three minutes after Parrott’s opener and Jack Moylan got the third goal in the 25th.
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Ireland won 3-0.
Sunday’s game was the first of two in the series — the second is set for Oct. 4 — that were scheduled despite a request by the Football Association of Ireland that UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, suspend the Israel Football Association in protest of Israel’s military action in Gaza. It was rejected by UEFA.
More than 160 Irish sportspeople signed an open letter issued by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group, urging the FAI to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the fixtures and saying: “With this moment you have an opportunity to do the right thing.”
Sunday’s game was staged in Debrecen, Hungary, and the reverse game — a “home” match for Ireland — will be behind closed doors in Bačka Topola, northern Serbia.
Ireland opted to stage the game in neutral territory because of what the FAI described as “operational challenges” that could arise if it was played in Dublin.
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Israel has had to relocate, often to Hungary, for its home games for security reasons since October 2023, with UEFA having ruled the country cannot host international matches because of the war.