BACKA TOPOLA, Serbia (AP) — Ireland players again wore black armbands and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem before the teams’ second Nations League soccer match on Sunday.
The Israeli players also wore black armbands in memory of the people killed in the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher stepped in as captain for Dara O’Shea – who was excused to be with his wife for the birth of their
child – and he pointedly avoided shaking hands with Israel captain Dor Peretz, despite completing the usual pre-match formality with the referee and one of his assistants.
Kelleher repeated O’Shea’s actions before the first match in Debrecen, Hungary last week, when O'Shea declined to shake Israel captain Manor Solomon's hand. Ireland went on to win that game 3-0 through three first-half goals.
Solomon was dropped to the bench for Sunday's match in Backa Topola, Serbia. Israel forward Sayed Abu Farchi was back in the squad after serving a suspension for getting sent off following his goal celebration during Israel’s 3-1 defeat to Austria on Sept. 25.
Finn Azaz, whose mother has Israeli heritage, was among the Irish substitutes after playing from the start against Austria on Thursday.
Sunday's game was initially supposed to be played in Dublin, but the Football Association of Ireland moved the game to a neutral venue for “operational reasons” in June following widespread calls for a boycott in protest of Israel’s actions in Gaza. The FAI said the game would be played with no fans present.
It followed the FAI’s own motion the previous November calling on UEFA to ban Israel from club and international competitions.
All the Irish players had been under pressure from home, where affinity with Palestinians is strong, to boycott the second match against Israel, though they faced the greatest pressure before the first game. Ultimately only reserve goalkeeper Gavin Bazuno decided to skip both of the contentious games, saying in a statement that it was his “personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.”
Protesters threw tennis balls with Palestinian flags onto the field during Ireland’s 2-2 draw with Austria on Thursday, when a man with a Palestinian flag also later tried running onto the field.
On Saturday, an Israeli journalist stated during the pre-match press conference that the Irish players had called the Israeli players “monkeys” during last week’s game, leading to an immediate rebuke from Irish communications officer Kieran Crowley, who said it was “a lie” and ended the press conference.
The players only decided to go ahead with the fixtures after a dramatic day in Debrecen before the first match, when both press conference and training were delayed for hours while they deliberated. They reportedly voted 14-8 in favor of continuing after Bazunu’s withdrawal that morning.
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