Ireland manager says team will play ‘against genocide’ in Israel Nations League ties

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson says his players will not be playing “with genocide” but “against genocide” when they face Israel in two Nations League matches.

His comments have prompted an angry response from the Israel Football Association, increasing tensions ahead of the two fixtures.

Ireland begin their Nations League campaign against Kosovo in the capital, Pristina, on Thursday. However, attention has quickly focused on the meetings with Israel, particularly after the sides drew in February.

The first match is scheduled for 27 September in Debrecen, Hungary, with the second taking place on 4 October in Backa Topola, Serbia. Ireland are officially listed as the home team for both games.

Speaking at a news conference to announce his latest squad, Hallgrimsson acknowledged that some Ireland players were uncomfortable with the prospect of taking part. He said, however, that they had agreed to play in commitment to the group and the national team.

Asked how football could be separated from the political dispute surrounding the matches, Hallgrimsson said: “I have said it before: we are not playing with genocide, we are playing against genocide. We are playing against Israel, we are not playing with Israel.”

The Israel Football Association responded strongly in a statement posted on its official account on X. The statement referred to what it described as Israel’s contributions in several fields before directly criticising the Ireland manager.

It said: “Stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy” were issues it had so far been unable to find a cure for, accusing Hallgrimsson of displaying those qualities in his comments.

The association ended its message by saying it did not play “with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity”, but “against the coach who embodies them”.

Calls for Ireland boycott

The dispute coincided with an open letter signed by more than 160 Irish athletes and addressed to the Ireland players. They called on the squad to refuse to take part in the two matches and to make a collective decision based on what the letter described as “conscience”.

The initiative was organised by Irish Sport for Palestine, which has stepped up its opposition to Ireland playing the fixtures because of the war in Gaza.

Calls for a boycott are not new in Ireland. During a friendly between Ireland and Qatar in May, some supporters protested by throwing tennis balls on to the pitch as part of a campaign called “Stop the Match”.

The campaign urged a boycott of Ireland’s games against Israel, objecting to the fixtures being played while the war in Gaza continues. The protests have added further tension to the build-up to the two Nations League meetings.