UEFA has taken swift action to prevent the escalation of the Eire-Israel scandal that erupted before, during and after the matches between the two teams in Group 3 of League “B“ of the Nations League.
Yesterday's match between the Irish and the Israelis (1:1), which was home to the “Clover“, was played in Bačka Topola (Serbia). The neutral venue was chosen because the match was considered high-risk in Eire. The island country supports Palestine in the conflict with Israel and the players wore black armbands to show respect for the country's victims. The Israelis also wore black armbands, but in honor of those killed in the “Hamas“ attacks on October 7, 2023.
After the match, UEFA banned two Israeli journalists from attending the press conference. The reason is that during the pre-match briefing of the Irish national team coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, a representative of the media from Israel accused the Eire national team of racism during the first match, played in Hungary last week and won by the “Clover“ 3:0. The islanders denied it and demanded an investigation, but the European football headquarters refused one, as it did not have its representative at the event.
Shortly after the end of the first half in Bačka Topola, an Israeli national team spat at the Irish fitness coach Damien Doyle in the tunnel. The incident caused a brief tension between the two teams, according to world media.
Before the start of the match, Eire captain Kevin Kelleher refused to shake hands with his Israeli counterpart Dor Peretz during the toss to determine initial possession of the ball.
Before the first match between the two teams, then-captain Dara O'Shea did the same. There was a possibility that the Irish would not play in the first match, but after a vote in the team, it was agreed that the match would take place. However, third goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu refused to play. Since UEFA rules require that each team have three goalkeepers for a Nations League match, defender Jimmy Dunne was listed as one.
The political topic was already raised at the press conference before the first match. When asked if Eire was showing some kind of support by coming onto the field, coach Helmgrinson said: "We are not playing with Israel, we are playing against Israel." Before both matches, the Irish national team listened to the opponent's anthem with their heads bowed.