Political tensions in the European Nations League matches and Spanish efforts to secure qualification

Heimir Hallgrimsson, the coach of the Irish national team, called on the European Football Association (UEFA) to keep his country away from facing Israel in the upcoming competitions, following the 1-1 draw between the two teams in the European Nations League, in a match that was held without an audience in Serbia on Sunday evening.

The two confrontations between the two teams sparked widespread controversy against the backdrop of political tensions related to the war between Israel and Gaza, while the Irish Football Association was subjected to pressure to boycott the two matches.

The tense atmosphere continued in the match that brought them together in Serbia, after reports emerged that an Israeli player spat on Damian Doyle, the fitness coach for the Irish national team, while the two teams were heading to the locker rooms between halftime of the match. Hallgrimsson confirmed that there was an allegation about the incident, but explained that he had not witnessed it and declined to comment further.

When asked whether the two teams should meet again, Hallgrimsson told RTE: “No, that should not happen.” This is not our decision, it is up to UEFA. It is clear that there is great support for Palestine in Ireland, and there are not many countries that support Palestine to the same extent as Ireland.

He added: “I do not wish any national team to go through what we went through during the past two weeks, and perhaps UEFA needs to intervene and take some action.”

In another development, the Israeli government accused the Irish team of “moral blindness,” after the team’s players, members of the technical staff, and Irish Federation officials bowed their heads during the playing of the Israeli national anthem, in a scene that was repeated for the second time within a week, according to what Sky Sports reported on Monday.

The official account of the Israeli government on the “X” platform published a statement saying, “While some use the football field as if it were a political theater, for us the matter is personal. In 1939, Irish players raised their arms in salute to Nazi Germany. In 2026, Ireland players bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem. Different generations, the same moral blindness.”

The statement added that Israeli players wore black armbands during the match to commemorate the victims of the October 7 attack, including former professional football player Lior Assouline.

UEFA also confirmed before the match that Israeli journalists were banned from attending the press conferences that followed the match, after a press conference for the Irish team on Saturday that witnessed tension and verbal altercations.

An Israeli journalist claimed that Israeli players accused Irish players of directing racist abuse at them during the two teams’ match in Hungary last week, but an Irish media official denied the allegation, saying: “This is completely untrue.”

After the press conference ended suddenly, the Serbian police were called after an Israeli journalist claimed that he had been assaulted, saying that a media official in the Irish Football Association had taken a microphone from him, but the police did not take any further action, according to what was reported by “Sky Sports.”

Spain, the world champion, seeks to continue its victories and secure its qualification to the quarter-finals of the European Nations League when it visits wounded Croatia on Tuesday, while Harry Kane will equal Peter Shilton’s record in terms of the number of appearances with the England national team.

Spain emerged victorious from its first three tests in the third group of the first level of the continental competition, including defeating the English in their stronghold “Wembley” 3-2 on September 26 last year. Which put it in the lead with 9 points, compared to 6 for Kane and his teammates in the “Three Lions”.

Coach Luis de la Fuente's team raised its number of consecutive victories to 10, and maintained its unbeaten record for the 41st match, thus enhancing its record. The Spaniards' last match against the Czech Republic (3-1 in Oviedo) witnessed captain Rodri scoring his first goal with the national team in more than two years. The current Barcelona midfielder said: “It is always special to score for the national team. I haven't been scoring many goals lately, so let's see if I've regained that effectiveness. “This is important, as we all must contribute to scoring goals.”

After scoring in the first two minutes against England and Croatia (4-1), Lamine Yamal continued the strike early by scoring against the Czech Republic in the 6th minute. The 19-year-old said: “We are performing well, and I am very happy.” “I was eager to return to the national team after the World Cup, and there is no better way than this.”

De La Fuente put his hands on his head in astonishment at Yamal's goal, which was the Barcelona player's 12th in his last 9 matches with his club and country. “I think he never ceases to amaze us... He has tremendous talent and great quality,” De La Fuente said, adding: “He still has a lot to offer; Because he is a classy and very talented player with tremendous potential.”

The Spaniards beat Split and Croatia in the worst possible position after receiving a humiliating defeat in the last round among their fans against England by seven clean goals. Which prompted its veteran captain, Luka Modric, to express very great frustration. Croatian state television quoted Modric as saying in the mixed zone after the biggest defeat ever for his country: “I have been here for 20 years, but this is the first time I feel ashamed after a match.” He added: “Loss can happen, and this is not the problem.” But to lose in this way and to tarnish the reputation we have built with great effort over the years... is completely unacceptable.”

At Wembley Stadium against the Czech Republic, Kane will equal the record for the number of matches with the England national team, owned by former goalkeeper Peter Shilton (125 between 1970 and 1990).

Kane began his career with the Three Lions against Lithuania in 2015 and scored just two minutes after coming on as a substitute in that match. Since then, he has rarely gone through periods of goal drought in the Three Lions shirt. The player holds; The 33-year-old holds the record for the number of goals with his country (89), the last of which was a brace in the sweeping victory over Croatia. The German Bayern Munich star was the inspiring leader and mainstay of the team during periods of success and failure over the past 11 years.

Roy Hodgson gave the former Tottenham player his first international cap with England, before the striker worked under the leadership of Sam Allardyce, Gareth Southgate, Lee Carsley, and now the German Thomas Tuchel. But even the presence of a player with an exceptional scoring instinct and remarkable consistency, like Kane, was not enough to end England’s long and painful wait for the first major title since the 1966 World Cup. England lost the European Cup finals in 2021 and 2024. Tuchel believes that Kane needs the support of a distinguished midfielder if he wants to follow in the footsteps of Bobby Moore, the only English captain to hold a major title with the national team, after Jude Bellingham’s wonderful performance against Croatia on Saturday, for which he received widespread praise from his colleagues and analysts. After he was threatened with missing the World Cup after being excluded from the England squad in October 2025, the Spanish Real Madrid star moved from Tuchel’s circle of anger to the position of the favorite star during the past 12 months. Bellingham upset Tuchel with his emotional behavior on the field, but he regained his place in time to participate in the World Cup this summer. Although Bellingham, not Kane, finished the tournament as England's top scorer, the national team's journey stopped in the semi-finals with a loss to Argentina.

Maintaining Kane's readiness and Bellingham continuing his amazing level will be key factors in England's efforts to win the 2028 European Cup. The 23-year-old midfielder was completely dominant in Rijeka against Croatia; He scored a goal and provided 3 assists. Tuchel believed that the relationship between Kane and Bellingham had developed a lot on and off the field in recent months. Which paved the way for this creativity and goals from the duo.