Uproar before the Nations League duel: Irish press conference canceled after a war of words

Ireland's national soccer coach Heimir Hallgrimsson's press conference before the second duel in the Nations League with Israel was canceled after a scandal. Irish communications chief Kieran Crowley ended the discussion after an exchange with Israeli reporters, according to a video recording in Irish media.

A journalist said Irish players had called Israeli internationals “monkeys” and was then interrupted. “That is completely untrue,” Crowley said, declaring the press conference over.

There had already been controversy before the first game after the Irish team considered a boycott over the Gaza war. "We don't play with genocide, we play against genocide. We play against Israel, we don't play with Israel," Hallgrimsson said a day before his team's 3-0 win last Monday.

Tense atmosphere in Belgrade

Following the abrupt end of the press conference, a separate briefing exclusively for Irish media was then scheduled. As reported by Irish media, this event was also moved to another area of ​​the stadium when a representative from Israel Broadcasting wanted to attend.

The incident exacerbated the already tense atmosphere before the duel on Sunday evening in Belgrade. The Irish home game will not take place in Ireland due to the political situation, after the first meeting on neutral ground in Debrecen, Hungary, which was accompanied by controversy.

UEFA examines events

Hallgrimsson currently did not want to comment in more detail on the events. “I’m not going to go into detail about what was said,” he said. The events would first be examined within the responsible departments and then by the European Football Union UEFA. According to him, there were reports of incidents from both teams.

In the first leg, the Irish wore black armbands “to commemorate all those who lost their lives in this conflict,” as it was said before kick-off with a view to the Gaza war. The Irish kept their heads bowed during the Israeli anthem and there were no high-fives before or after the game. Substitute goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu boycotted the game and will also be missing on Sunday.

Background to the explosive duel

The background to the tensions is Israel's role in the Gaza conflict. There had been protests in Ireland against the duels with Israel since the draw. On October 7, 2023, fighters from Hamas and other extremist organizations killed around 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 250 others as hostages to Gaza.

The unprecedented attack sparked the Gaza War. Since then, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. There has actually been a ceasefire in the Gaza war since October 2025; But there are always fatal attacks.