Ireland beat Israel amid boycott storm but real story was protest around match

DEBRECEN, Hungary (MNTV) — The Republic of Ireland defeated Israel 3-0 in a UEFA Nations League fixture on Sunday, but the scoreline was almost incidental to a match that had become one of the most contested sporting events in Europe — a game the majority of Irish people did not want played at all, held behind closed doors, in another country, and shadowed at every turn by protest against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The fixture, played at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, was Israel’s “home” game — staged in Hungary because UEFA has barred Israel from hosting international matches since October 2023 on security grounds. 

Ireland’s football association declined its ticket allocation, and Israel was permitted no more than 100 supporters, most of them Hungary-based.

Team divided, then defiant

The build-up laid bare deep unease within the Irish camp. More than 160 Irish sportspeople had signed an open letter urging the team to boycott the game, and protesters had gathered outside the squad’s Dublin hotel. 

Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson acknowledged that some players were “really uncomfortable,” and midfielder Jason Knight said the games should not be happening.

On Saturday, that tension broke into the open. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu told his teammates he did not want to play. 

After a lengthy debate, the players voted by a significant majority to fulfil the fixture — reportedly with eight voting against — but Bazunu alone refused, withdrawing from the squad. Former Ireland international Rachel Lambert, quoted by Al Jazeera, called his decision to stand alone in a group of 25 players an act of “staggering courage.” 

There were also reports that players had faced pressure from agents over the potential consequences of refusing to play.

Those who did take the field made their objection visible. Ireland’s players wore black armbands in solidarity with Palestine, bowed their heads, and refused the customary pre-match handshakes with the Israeli team. 

The squad also agreed to donate their match fees from both games to aid organisations working in Gaza.

Nation that stayed away

The protest extended far beyond the pitch. Pubs across Ireland refused to screen the match — at Peadar Browns in Dublin, owner Aidan Brown kept the televisions off, explaining that “the points are just not important at all.” 

The state broadcaster RTÉ, contractually obliged to show the game, stripped its coverage back to the bare minimum: no studio presentation, no punditry, commentary taken from the international feed, and no advertising or sponsorship around either fixture.

The trade union SIPTU mounted a huge poster beside the River Liffey urging the players to “Go with your conscience” and “Don’t play with genocide,” beside an image of a blood-splattered ball. Former Ireland manager Brian Kerr said the football association had “lost the respect of the Irish people” by pressing ahead.

Why Ireland

The intensity of feeling reflects Ireland’s long and distinctive solidarity with the Palestinian cause. 

In 1980, Ireland became the first member of what is now the European Union to call for Palestinian statehood, and recent polling suggested about two-thirds of people in Ireland did not want the match to take place.

The country has boycotted Israel-related events before, including this year’s Eurovision, a stance it has said it will maintain next year.

The football association had resisted a boycott, warning of potentially punishing UEFA sanctions — a particular concern given Ireland is co-hosting the 2028 European Championship. 

The two sides are due to meet again next week, with the pressure to boycott that second fixture only likely to grow. As the pub owner Aidan Brown put it, in a line that captured the national mood: football, this time, was just football.