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Republic of Ireland midfielder Jason Knight has publicly said the national team’s upcoming UEFA Nations League match against Israel should not take place, becoming the first Ireland player to do so.
Speaking after Ireland’s 1-0 defeat by Kosovo in Pristina on Thursday, Knight said he personally opposed the fixture. “I don’t think the game should be going ahead, but it is going ahead,” the 25-year-old Bristol City midfielder said, according to the original report.
Ireland’s players are expected to hold further discussions before deciding how they will approach Sunday’s match in Debrecen, Hungary. “We’ll have a deeper talk about it and what that means. We’ll get our thoughts as a group and go from there,” Knight said.
Ireland players to discuss possible protest
Captain Dara O’Shea had earlier said the squad would meet on Friday to discuss their positions and whether to stage a collective protest during the match.
Possible actions could include refusing customary pre-match handshakes or post-match shirt exchanges. No decision has yet been announced.
O’Shea said the decision to proceed with the fixtures had been made by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), the Irish government and UEFA, rather than by the players.
Pressure mounts on FAI over Israel fixtures
The FAI has faced increasing pressure to boycott the two Nations League matches against Israel over the continuing genocide in Gaza.
More than 160 Irish athletes have signed an open letter calling on the national team not to play, while the Stop The Game campaign has held demonstrations demanding Israel’s suspension from international football.
Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson previously said some players felt “really uncomfortable” about the matches and described the team as playing “against genocide”. The comments drew a strong response from the Israeli Football Association.
The FAI has said it opposes Israel’s continued participation and has lobbied UEFA to suspend the country. However, it rejected a unilateral boycott because of the potential sporting and financial consequences.
The association’s general assembly voted 75-38 to fulfil the fixtures after officials warned that withdrawing could cost Irish football at least €5.5 million ($6.5 million) and expose the FAI to additional UEFA sanctions.
Match details and broadcast plans
The first match will be played at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen on Sunday. The return fixture, officially Ireland’s home match, has been moved from Dublin to Backa Topola in Serbia and will take place behind closed doors on October 4.
The FAI will not provide tickets to Irish supporters for either game. Irish national broadcaster RTE has also said it will show the matches without its usual studio coverage, punditry, advertising or in-house commentary team.
