Bačka Topola, Serbia, 05 October (H.S.): Players of the Republic of Ireland men’s football team once again wore black armbands before their Nations League match against Israel and lowered their heads during the Israeli national anthem in a gesture of opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza. The match between the two teams subsequently ended in a 1-1 draw.

Israeli players also wore black armbands, in memory of those killed in the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel captain Dor Peretz had “7.10” written on his armband.

Ireland’s regular captain, Dara O’Shea, was absent from the squad to be with his wife for the birth of their child, so goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher captained the side. Before the match, Kelleher shook hands with the referee and one of his assistants but deliberately avoided shaking hands with Israel captain Peretz.

Kelleher repeated the gesture made by O’Shea in the teams’ first meeting in Debrecen, Hungary, last week. In that match, O’Shea did not shake hands with Israel captain Manor Solomon. Ireland won that game 3-0, scoring all three goals in the first half.

Solomon was left out of Israel’s starting XI for Sunday’s match and remained on the bench.

Israel forward Said Abu Farshi also returned to the squad after serving a suspension following his red card for celebrating a goal during Israel’s 3-1 defeat by Austria on September 25. However, he did not feature in the match.

Ireland scored the opening goal of the game. In the 39th minute, Troy Parrott converted a penalty after Peretz fouled Jimmy Dunne, giving Ireland a 1-0 lead. There was also a heated exchange between members of the two sides near the touchline as the players were leaving the field at half-time.

Before the start of the second half, Peretz lifted the back of his shirt above his neck, clearly displaying the Israeli flag on it. Two minutes after the restart, he scored from close range to bring Israel level at 1-1.

In the second half, Israel substitutes Omri Gandelman and Oscar Gloukh both struck the right-hand post. Tensions appeared to rise between players from the two teams following several strong challenges during the match, prompting referee Juan Martínez Munuera to keep a close watch on the situation.

Match Moved from Dublin to Serbia

The match was originally scheduled to take place in Dublin, but amid widespread calls for a boycott, the Football Association of Ireland decided in June to move the fixture to a neutral venue, citing “operational reasons.” The association also said the match would be played behind closed doors.

Earlier, in November, the Football Association of Ireland had passed a motion calling on UEFA to ban Israel from club and international competitions.

Strong support for Palestine in Ireland had led to pressure on players to boycott both matches. The pressure was particularly intense before the first encounter. Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson said at the time, “I felt that pressure increasing day by day and now it is almost reaching its limit.”

However, with the exception of reserve goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, none of the players decided to withdraw from either match. Bazunu issued a statement saying that the killing of innocent people was wrong and that this was his “personal belief.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar