Israel captain Manor Solomon accused Ireland of hating his team after Irish players refused to shake hands and turned away during the national anthem before a Nations League match in Hungary on Sunday night.
Ireland won the game 3-0 in Budapest following first-half goals from Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Jack Moylan, who celebrated by removing his black armband and kissing it. Irish players wore black armbands throughout the fixture in recognition of all lives lost in the Gaza conflict.
Before kickoff, Ireland skipper Dara O'Shea refrained from shaking hands with West Ham winger Solomon during the coin toss, while Irish substitutes and coaching staff looked at the floor while Israel's anthem played. No handshakes were exchanged at full time, and the Irish squad was booed off the pitch.
"They said nonsense to us during the game, I don't want to talk about them," 27-year-old Solomon said in a post-match interview. "If I say what I think about them, I'll probably be banned for a few games so I don't want to say. Of course they hate us and we don't like them."
Solomon insisted his side would recover in their upcoming fixtures. "We will do everything to make it look completely different against Kosovo, we have four more games in the campaign and it's not over," he said. "I believe in ourselves that we can do it. I know who I'm with here, I know the players and the team, we will get out of this and get revenge for this."
"I'm already looking forward to the next game against them, it's going to be completely different," Solomon added. "What they did with the anthem? I'm not interested in them, we have a country that is ten times better than theirs, stronger, an amazing country with amazing people. We are proud to wear the national team's shirt and be Israelis. We are proud of our country and our soldiers. They can play all their tricks. We are Israelis and love the country. And that will always be the case."
Irish squad boycott and player reactions
The fixture took place following intense debate within the Irish camp. The squad held a four-hour meeting prior to the game to decide whether to participate after calls for a boycott organized by the pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine, which was backed by former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr and ex-international James McClean.
Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the squad on ethical grounds. The 24-year-old Bolton Wanderers star stated: "I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle. My decision is based purely upon my belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong."
"It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition to the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region," Bazunu added. "There are few times when you get a chance in life to stand for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them."
Bazunu's withdrawal prompted other players to consider pulling out, according to the Irish Times, before a significant majority voted to play while carrying out on-pitch protests. Because UEFA regulations dictate that teams must include at least three goalkeepers in their squad, QPR centre-back Jimmy Dunne was listed as a goalkeeper on the official team sheet.
Speaking before the game, midfielder Jason Knight admitted the squad felt uncomfortable. "I don't think the game obviously should be going ahead but it is going ahead," Knight said. "We'll have a deeper talk about it and what that means, we'll get our thoughts as a group and go from there. It's a bigger spotlight obviously around the Israel games and not focused on the football itself. It's very, very unusual and none of us have come into this scenario before so we're learning on the fly as well."
Ipswich Town defender O'Shea acknowledged the squad felt exposed following decision-making by governing bodies. "As soon as the game was decided by the FAI, the government and Uefa, we were always going to be put in a tough position," O'Shea said. "We feel exposed, it's come down to us as such at the end. We knew that was going to be the case and this was going to come our way. It's a difficult situation but we understand the severity of it too."
Broadcast cutbacks and red card controversy
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson previously drew heavy criticism from Israeli officials after stating his team were "playing against genocide" in Gaza. In Ireland, a public petition demanding the cancellation of the match gathered more than 17,000 signatures, while protests took place outside the team hotel in Dublin and several pubs refused to screen the game.
Irish public broadcaster RTE scaled back its coverage of the match, omitting studio punditry and advertisements while airing only the international commentary feed. The broadcaster stated it was fulfilling only its contractual obligations to air the fixture.
The tension followed another controversial incident involving Israel during their previous match against Austria on Thursday. Israeli forward Sayed Abu Farchi was sent off in the second half of that defeat after removing a corner flag from the ground and mimicking a gunshot. While spectators judged the gesture to be in bad taste, the Israeli delegation claimed Farchi was imitating a snooker shot.
Nations League staging and security arrangements
The Nations League draw in February grouped Ireland alongside Israel, Austria and Kosovo, prompting immediate calls for the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to boycott the fixtures. In July, FAI delegates voted 75 to 32 in favor of playing the matches.
The FAI opted to move its home fixture against Israel to a neutral venue, citing operational challenges that could impact delivery on home soil. No tickets were sold to Irish supporters for either match, though a small allocation was made available to Israeli fans in Hungary.
Hungary was selected to host the first fixture due to its close diplomatic ties with Israel and willingness to provide security. The return fixture between Ireland and Israel is scheduled to take place on Sunday behind closed doors in Backa Topola, Serbia, where the remote location is intended to simplify security management and minimize demonstrations.
Diplomatic sanctions and Gaza conflict context
The sporting controversy reflects escalating diplomatic friction between Ireland and Israel. In May 2024, Ireland officially recognized a Palestinian state alongside Spain and Norway, and later joined South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Ireland has also boycotted the Eurovision Song Contest since 2025 over Israeli participation, banned imports from illegal West Bank settlements, and issued travel bans against Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in June.
Cultural figures have also been affected by the broader debate, with British musician Ed Sheeran experiencing backlash after removing American rapper Macklemore from his tour following pro-Palestine statements.
The geopolitical tension coincides with international trade measures. On September 8, the UK, France and Canada announced coordinated sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank following approximately 1,400 settler attacks reported this year. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband criticized illegal settlement expansion and cited ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by settler terrorists.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called Miliband's statements an outrageous lie and responded by closing the UK consulate in East Jerusalem. The joint statement from Britain, France and Canada highlighted unprecedented levels of settler violence and criticized tenders for the E1 settlement project, which would connect Jerusalem to Ma'aleh Adumim and divide a future Palestinian state.
On September 22, the Netherlands instituted a ban on all products originating from illegal Israeli settlements, establishing penalties of up to six years in prison for violations. Dutch customs officials began inspecting luggage at borders, leading Saar to revoke the credentials of Dutch diplomats in the West Bank. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen expressed regret over Israel's decision and emphasized that the import restriction was not targeted against Israel.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the Palestinian death toll reached 74,016 on Saturday, with 175,068 people injured. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led attacks in Israel resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and the capture of 251 hostages.
Although a ceasefire took effect on October 10 last year, Israeli military strikes have continued against perceived threats. Since the ceasefire began, 1,145 Palestinians and seven Israeli soldiers have been killed. Ceasefire negotiations remain stalled as Israeli forces control more than half of Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating troops will not withdraw until Hamas disarms.
