Ireland dominates Israel 3-0 in match marked by political tensions

Ireland easily dominated Israel (3-0) on Sunday evening in Debrecen, Hungary, in an almost deserted stadium and with a reduced pre-match protocol, after several days of intense debate around a possible boycott of Irish players. The three goals were scored before the break during a match without relief, and without major incident. Only a brief scuffle on the pitch between several players, at the hour mark, led the referee to distribute two yellow cards, one to each side. Just before kick-off, and as the Irish leaders had announced the day before, there were no exchanges of pennants or handshakes between the captains of the two teams.

The Irish players wore a black armband, as a sign of solidarity with “all the lives lost in this conflict”, as the director general of the Irish Federation (FAI), David Courell, had also explained the day before. These initiatives were sharply criticized on Sunday by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who accused Dublin of being “on the wrong side of history”. On This time, they stand on the side of Palestinian terrorism. Above the black armbands that the Irish players will wear this evening flies the black flag of jihadism,” he lambasted.

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Ireland must face Israel twice in the Nations League. Sunday's match, officially hosted at home by Israel, took place on neutral ground in Hungary, as Israel cannot host international matches on its soil due to the security situation. The second match, in which Ireland will officially be "at home", will take place on October 4 in Backa Topola, Serbia.

On Saturday, on the eve of the match, Irish football leaders confirmed its continuation after a team vote, organized following the decision of goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu to boycott the two matches to protest against the war in Gaza. A long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause, Ireland recognized a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Spain and Norway and has repeatedly condemned the war in Gaza.

Questioned by AFP on Sunday evening near the Debrecen stadium, Israeli supporters regretted what they perceived as a politicization of the meeting. “Sport, football, basketball, all this belongs to the public, to the people, and not to politics. From the moment we decide, for political reasons, to deprive Irish supporters from coming, I think it is a really stupid decision,” declared Mol Michael, 31, a software development professor, a scarf in Israeli colors around his neck.