UEFA asked to change big rule after Ireland vs Israel mix-up
Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has asked UEFA to think again about how they organize draws for future tournaments, after the issues surrounding Ireland’s two Nations League games against Israel.
Hallgrimsson has seen his team play Israel twice during the international break, and both matches came with some controversy.
On September 27, Ireland won 3-0 in Hungary, and the players wore black armbands to honor “all the lives lost in the conflict” in Gaza. The Irish team also chose not to shake hands with the Israeli players and bowed their heads during Israel’s national anthem.
There were also reports of some Israeli fans chanting abusively towards Ireland forward Adam Idah.
On October 4, the teams met again and played to a 1-1 draw. Troy Parrott scored first for Ireland from a penalty, but Israel equalized soon after. Like before, the teams didn’t shake hands, and two Irish players, Finn Azaz (who has Irish-Israeli roots) and Gavin Bazunu, decided not to play.
After this second match in Serbia, there were claims that an Israeli player spat at Ireland’s head of athletic performance, Damien Doyle, during the half-time break. While Hallgrimsson said Israel tried to intimidate his team, he admitted he didn’t see the spitting, and Israel’s coach also said he didn’t see anything.
Because of all this, Hallgrimsson thinks UEFA should try to keep these two teams apart in future draws. In an interview with RTÉ, he said: “No, they shouldn’t. It’s not up to us, it’s UEFA’s decision. There’s strong support for Palestine in Ireland – probably stronger than in many other countries. I wouldn’t want any team to go through what we did these past two weeks, so maybe UEFA needs to step in and do something.”
Right now, Ireland has five points from four Nations League games, while Israel has two points and no wins in their group.