Ireland team's activities before Israel games delayed as pressure to boycott grows

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The Ireland team’s press conference and training session the day before the first of its Nations League games against Israel were delayed Saturday as pressure to boycott the matches grew.

Journalists in Debrecen, Hungary — where Israel’s “home” game is to be played Sunday — were left waiting Saturday morning after being told the press conference was being pushed back until after training. That was 15 minutes before it was supposed to begin.

Training was also significantly delayed, however, with the players only emerging from their hotel some 2½ hours after the training session was supposed to begin.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that some players had decided they did not want to play the games, and that the press conference was to take place at 3.30 p.m. local time — more than five hours after initially planned — with the training session rescheduled to take place after that.

Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu reportedly told the team the night before he did not want to play, and was joined by at least two other players, but The Irish Times reported the rest of the team was planning to go ahead with the games.

The team has been coming under increasing pressure in Ireland, where affinity with Palestinians is strong, to boycott the two games — the first on Sunday and the second, Ireland’s “home” game, in Backa Topola, Serbia on Oct. 4.

Ireland midfielder Jason Knight said after Thursday’s 1-0 loss in Kosovo that the players were in a difficult situation and that he didn’t think the matches should be going ahead.

Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson previously said “we’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel” — drawing a furious reaction from the Israeli soccer federation, which accused the Icelandic coach of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy.”

The Football Association of Ireland had resisted calls to boycott the matches, arguing the team could be hit be punishing sanctions by UEFA. Ireland is co-hosting the 2028 European Championship with England, Wales and Scotland.

More than 160 Irish sportspeople signed an open letter urging the FAI to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the fixtures.

There were protestors outside the team hotel in Dublin last week calling on the players to boycott the games. The SIPTU trade union displayed a huge poster in central Dublin beside the River Liffey asking the players to “Go with your conscience!” and “Don't play with genocide” beside an image of a blood-splattered ball.

Former Ireland coach Brian Kerr said the FAI had “lost of the respect of the Irish people” for going ahead with the games.

“The Irish people and the soccer-going public don’t want the games to be played,” Kerr said. “I think they’ve made their opinions clear over the last year. The FAI back in November actually went to UEFA and requested that Israel be put out of the tournament on a principle. And yet they went against that principle.”

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