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Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has said he feels “grateful for the support” he has received after he was accused of “ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity” by the Israel Football Association – but admitted the comments he made before the upcoming meeting of the two countries were “maybe not clever from me”.
Hallgrimsson said over the weekend that the Republic of Ireland will be “playing against genocide” in their Uefa Nations League double header against Israel, amid mounting calls from campaigners in Ireland to boycott the two fixtures that will be held at neutral venues.
It brought a furious response from the Israel FA on Monday, who wrote on social media: “We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, we’re playing against the coach who embodies them”.
The Irish taoiseach Michael Martin called the comments from the Israel FA “unacceptable” and said they “should be withdrawn” while speaking with reporters when attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
“We’re very clear and I think [UN secretary general] Antonio Guterres said it again this morning, he has never in his lifetime seen the level and scale of death and destruction as he witnessed in terms of the Israeli government’s war on Gaza in the aftermath of the horrific Hamas attack preceding the war,” Martin said.
“Our manager is saying the exact same thing. Israel can’t keep denying what the world knows and what the world understands.”
The Republic of Ireland will play Israel in their away game in Hungary on Sunday, before they stage their ‘home’ fixture against Israel in Serbia on 4 October. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) requested to move the game away from Dublin due to security concerns.
“Obviously we are grateful for all the support we have,” Hallgrimsson told a press conference on Wednesday. “Creating the headlines from what I said last time has taken the attention away from what is maybe most important, we are playing an important game against Kosovo.
“That was not the purpose and maybe from a leadership point of view it was not clever from me, to take the attention like this. I need to be focused on the game need and the players need to be focused on the game. To answer the question, we’re thankful for the support we get. It’s a tricky time for us.”
Meanwhile, captain Dara O’Shea said the Republic of Ireland players will come together and discuss whether to stage a protest before playing Israel, with a decision to be taken by the squad “as one”.
O’Shea said the Irish team have been put in a “difficult” and “unusual” situation ahead of the two games against Israel and will make a decision on what to do following their first fixture of the international window against Kosovo on Thursday.
“We spoke already that we will come together on Friday and discuss it as a group,” O’Shea said. “I don’t think we would be doing our job probably if we didn’t put our focus into the game [against Kosovo]. We will come together and discuss it openly on Friday.
“Of course it’s a difficult situation and an unusual one to find ourselves in. For me, first and foremost, at club or international level, it’s important we all come together and speak openly. We have to respect each other’s views.
“We need to sit down and take the time, because it deserves the time to talk about, that’s the main thing. It’s something that can’t be brushed over. I think whatever the decision we come to as players will be taken as one. Everyone’s views have to be respected as well.”
The Israeli government has vehemently denied the charges of genocide since their retaliation to the October 7 attacks almost three years ago, when about 1,200 people were killed by Hamas and 250 people were taken hostage. Over 70,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the war in Gaza, according to figures used by the United Nations.
Protestors gathered outside the Irish team hotel in Dublin on Monday night as part of the “Stop the Game” campaign while there has also been criticism from former Republic of Ireland international Kevin Kilbane after the FAI said boycotting the games would have a “profound impact on the whole of Irish football”.
The FAI previously said that refusing to play against Israel could weaken their chances of qualifying for Euro 2028, when they will be co-hosts, as well as future World Cups. A vote of FAI delegates in July saw 75 members elect to play the matches, against 32 members who wanted to boycott them.
The FAI wrote to Uefa last November calling for the immediate suspension of the Israel FA, and has since lodged a request with Uefa to separate the Republic of Ireland from Israel in future draws. The FAI said the request was denied because the two countries have “never been in direct conflict”.
