Tensions and protests during Ireland-Israel Nations League

Mourning on the arm, no handshake with opponents and heads bowed during the playing of the Israeli anthem, as in the first leg. It also happened last night in the Nations League match between Ireland and Israel, which ended 1-1 on the pitch. The Irish players repeated the protest from the first leg, as a sign of "respect" for the victims in the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023. The Israeli players were also authorized to take to the pitch with an armband in memory of the massacre.

High tension in the field

At the final whistle of the first half, with the score 1-0 for Ireland, the tension rose, with the Israeli players coming into contact with the Irish bench, starting a fight and using harsh words. This time Israel was also wearing mourning on its arm: at the moment of the equalizer, the Israeli footballer Peretz made the same gesture as Moylan during the first leg goal: the mourning band was pulled off, kissed and turned towards the cameras.

The tensions of recent days

Ireland has long supported the Palestinian cause and the double match between its national team and Israel, within the Nations League, has already sparked several controversies. After Irish players threatened to boycott the first leg to protest Israel's war in Gaza, the first match finally took place as scheduled last Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary, as Israel was unable to host the match on its soil due to the security situation. During the match, which Ireland won (3-0), the Irish players wore black armbands and ostentatiously lowered their heads during the Israeli anthem. Before kickoff, there was no exchange of pennants or handshakes between the captains. Same thing for yesterday's match in Backa Topola, Serbia - the Irish FA refused to host the match at home for security reasons.

The tension had already been felt in the pre-match press conference of Irish coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, which was interrupted early following discussions with Israeli journalists regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It all started when a journalist questioned the Icelandic coach leading Ireland about the attack that took place on Wednesday on a Flydubai flight headed from the Emirates to Israel, defined as a "terrorist act" by the Emirati and Israeli authorities.

"What do you think of the people you support? Their ideology is based on murder. Just this week, one of them tried to kill 170 Israeli passengers," the journalist said in English. "Today we will not answer these types of questions. We will only answer questions about football," a press officer immediately replied. However, shortly afterwards, another journalist also addressed the Ireland manager: "Your players are calling our players monkeys during the match...", he said, only to be interrupted by a press officer who repeated "that's totally false", while the journalist in question had his microphone removed.