Republic of Ireland boss says Israel tried to intimidate players in Nations League draw

Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has accused Israel of trying to intimidate his players during their 1-1 Nations League draw, amid heightened tension and an allegation that an Irish staff member was spat at during the interval.

The match was played behind closed doors in Serbia, with players from both sides involved in confrontations as they made their way to the dressing rooms.

The Irish Times reported that Damien Doyle, the Republic of Ireland’s head of physical performance, accused an Israel player of spitting at him. Television footage also appeared to capture a voice saying: “He spat on me.”

“I don’t want to go into this, but it was like that in both games; it’s tense and there are a lot of emotions,” Hallgrimsson told Off The Ball.

The manager said he had not personally witnessed the alleged incident but confirmed that it would be reviewed.

“I felt they were trying to intimidate us from the first whistle, but I applaud the players highly for keeping their cool,” he added.

Hallgrimsson said the match could have produced a large number of cards, but praised his squad for controlling their emotions.

Israel manager Ran Ben Shimon said he had not seen what happened.

“I didn’t see anything. I was in the dressing room with my staff, and I will respond to you as soon as I have the opportunity to check,” he said.

Tensions have grown since first meeting

Relations between the teams have become increasingly strained since the first meeting, which the Republic of Ireland won 3-0.

During that match, midfielder Jason Molumby spoke to the officials about what he considered to be offensive chanting from some Israel supporters. The Football Association of Ireland subsequently opened an investigation into allegations that Adam Idah was subjected to racist abuse.

Ben Shimon rejected any connection between those events and what happened to Molumby in the latest fixture.

“It is not personal against the West Brom player, and I did not ask my players to insult any opponent or behave aggressively towards him,” he said.

The two matches were played against the backdrop of widespread controversy surrounding the war in Gaza. The Football Association of Ireland had faced pressure to withdraw from both fixtures against Israel.

Both games were staged at neutral venues, while the usual pre-match protocol was not held before either match. Republic of Ireland players also lowered their heads while Israel’s national anthem was played.