Irish fitness trainer claims he was spat on by Israelis

An unpleasant incident is said to have occurred on the sidelines of the politically charged international match between Ireland and Israel in the Nations League. According to Irish media, the national team's fitness trainer claimed that he was spat at by Israelis on his way to the dressing room at half-time. Evidence or video recordings of this were initially not known.

Cell phone videos from the stadium in Serbia, where the game was played without spectators, only show the players and staff becoming a little uneasy and a voice shouting: “Be smart.”

Ireland coach: "Won't comment on that"

Ireland's national coach Heimir Hallgrimsson did not want to comment on the scene at the press conference after the 1-1 draw. "I'm not going to comment on that, it's probably something the disciplinary committee will look at," he said. In a lengthy interview with the Irish broadcaster RTE, Hallgrimsson did not address the scene and simply denied the question of whether the “incident” and the “allegations of a spitting incident” had influenced his players.

“We need some time to reflect on all of this,” said the coach. "It's also the best time to recognize your enemies. When you're lying on the ground and people are kicking you. You can quickly see who tried to kick." Hallgrimsson said he didn't want any more games between the two nations in the future: "But we don't have to decide that, it's up to UEFA. I don't want any national team to have to go through what we experienced in these two weeks. UEFA has to intervene and do something."

The game between the two national teams was politically explosive because there is great support for Palestine in Ireland and Israel is massively criticized for the war in Gaza. The Irish players had been asked from home to boycott the international matches. Substitute goalkeeper Gavin Bazuno decided not to take part. Instead of Dublin, the game was played in Serbia and no fans were allowed. The Irish players refrained from shaking hands or high-fiving and bowed their heads during Israel's national anthem.