How Ireland v Israel become the world’s most controversial fixture

About 2km from the Republic of Ireland ’s Aviva Stadium, which won’t be hosting the home leg of the two Nations League games against Israel next week , there’s a notable indication as to why. Dublin’s Liberty Hall, the headquarters of the country’s main workers’ union, features a huge banner imploring the national team to “Stop the Game”. That is also the name of the grassroots campaign behind the banner, which adds: “Go with your conscience, don’t play ball with genocide.” Irish manager Heimir Hallgrimsson took the last few words further at his squad announcement last week, stating: “We are not playing with genocide, we are playing against genocide. We are playing against Israel , we are not playing with Israel.” The stridency caused surprise, but spoke to a lot of an Irish society very mobilised about this match, while infuriating Israel . Although bodies like the United Nations Commission of Inquiry have described the conflict in Gaza as a “genocide”, that has not been currently been proven in an international court, and Israel denies the claim. An Israel Football Association spokesperson stated “it is impossible to say genocide against us and not respond to him”, with an official social media post adding: “We have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by [Hallgrimsson]. We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, we’re playing against the coach who embodies them.” The Israel FA were said to be considering a complaint to Uefa , amid an expectation that players will not swap shirts at full-time and Israel coach Ran Ben Shimon will not shake hands with his counterpart Hallgrimsson. And all of this on the Monday six days before the first game. Little wonder the Football Association of Ireland cancelled all media engagements outside those mandated by Uefa, as federation head David Courell described “a unique couple of fixtures”. Israel play their “home” game in Debrecen in Hungary on Sunday, before Ireland “host” a return the following Sunday in Serbia’s Backa Topola . Irish broadcaster RTE is only showing a live feed of the games in order to fulfil contracts, with no additional coverage, as all the usual commercial aspects are stripped away. The LED boards in Serbia will only have “respect” messaging, while traditional protocols like dining with opposition officials will not take place. This is largely because of the profound anger in Ireland about Gaza, which has contributed to what various football figures – including at the top of Uefa – have described as “unprecedented” circumstances for two countries not in conflict. “I’ve never known anything like it,” one source said. In Ireland, debate about refusing to play has dominated national discourse, with severe criticism for the FAI over “cowardice”. Fintan Drury, an Irish football agent who has published two books critical of the west’s support of Israel, has been a leading voice. The ‘Stop the Game’ campaign has grown since Ireland were drawn with Israel in February (Getty) “The public support of Palestine is smothered by institutional cowardice, starting with a government that speaks out of both sides of its mouth. Its indifference made it easier for the FAI board to back away from its call on Uefa to ban Israel but then decide to play the matches when they found themselves pitted against them.” One reason Ireland’s home game is in Serbia is because of what Courell described as “operational challenges” that “could impact on the delivery of the game” in Dublin. Any such fixture would have faced considerable protests about “normalising” Israel at this seismic historic moment. In Israel, some close to the team see this as a next step from similar fixtures they have faced over the last three years, not least a November 2025 World Cup qualifier away to Norway. Such trips have involved 16 Mossad agents travelling and snipers on hotels, amid a sense there isn’t sufficient awareness of how society - including concerned players - were affected by the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023. As regards this specific match, some have pointed to the perceived symbolism of Ireland being one of very few countries unable to safely host Israel, unlike fellow group opponents Kosovo and Austria. Sources in European football have actually expressed sympathy for the FAI due to the diplomatic tightrope, but there is also a frustration within the Irish body as to why they have been left with the decision to play. Football Association of Ireland chief executive David Courell said Uefa rejected a request from the FAI to keep Ireland and Israel apart in future draws (PA) Courell expressed his “wish” that such decisions “were taken on another level”. Hallgrimsson echoed this, while relaying a common contrast with Russia, stating there’s been no “explanation why one is banned and the other is not”. The answer is actually that this primarily comes down to individual countries . The general view of Uefa and Fifa is not to ban associations, due to both the idea that the national team is separate to the current state – echoed in how Israel would point to Arab players in their team – and the understandable reluctance to have to repeatedly adjudicate on conflicts. Consequently, neither Fifa nor Uefa proactively banned Russia on the invasion of Ukraine. They were forced to respond to Poland refusing to play a World Cup play-off, with the backing of multiple other countries. The Uefa hierarchy are nevertheless understood to have been so affected by the urgency of the Gaza situation in October 2025 that informal discussions were held about a potential vote on banning Israel , only for that to be postponed by peace negotiations. That came just before the match in Norway, that foreshadowed much of Ireland’s fixture. There were protests on the streets of Oslo and Udine before World Cup qualifiers between Norway and Italy and Israel last season (AFP/Getty) “Stop the national match” protests surrounded a game that was the country’s most high-security sports event since the 1994 Winter Olympics. Norwegian federation president Lise Klaveness went through a tense press conference, since she had previously led calls for Israel to be banned. Klaveness stressed that wasn’t down to the recent UN Commission of Inquiry conclusion, but Israeli teams contravening Fifa rules about playing on occupied land. First put to Fifa by the Palestinian FA, that argument was echoed by the FAI to Uefa in 2024. An independent Fifa panel didn’t rule on it, citing “the unresolved legal status” of the West Bank, despite the International Court of Justice ruling the occupation unlawful. The same qualification group saw Italy stage their Israel fixture in Udine’s small Stadio Friuli, also out of security concerns. The city was essentially on military lockdown, as local politicians tried to stop the game. Udine also hosted the 2025 Super Cup two months before, with Uefa mascots holding up banners that read “stop killing children, stop killing civilians”. Numerous sources say Israeli officials were furious over “hypocrisy” and “sides being taken”. Uefa displayed banners before the Uefa Super Cup match between Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain in August 2025 (AFP/Getty) Norway meanwhile donated the proceeds from their game to Doctors Without Borders, but neither they nor Italy ever considered going out on their own with a boycott. Such stances have been given short shrift by swathes of Ireland, a country widely viewed as the most pro-Palestine in Europe. The connection goes back over a century, when the same British colonial officials served in both countries, as parallels have frequently been drawn – especially with Northern Ireland. Ireland were in 1980 the first European Union member to call for Palestinian statehood. Or, as one figure in Irish football put it, “pictures of dead children should be enough”. The layers of the relationships are only illustrated, however, by how a necessary neutrality in the second world war has since strained relations with Israel. Those close to the Israeli team ultimately feel their situation and the role of Hamas just isn’t fully relayed in Ireland. All of this is why there was dismay within both federations when the draw was made. None of that, however, has extended to a refusal to play. The FAI insist they have to consider Irish football’s long-term interests, arguing a boycott could cost more than €5.5m, having also warned members of further sanctions. The thinness of the line they are treading is nevertheless illustrated by Courell insisting Uefa have not made any such threats. A Palestinian flag flutters alongside EU and Ukrainian flags outside Leinster House to mark Ireland's recognition of a Palestinian state (AFP/Getty) A potential test for the FAI’s position is that the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Poland’s refusal to play Russia. Whether that serves as a precedent is open to question, however, since Fifa and Uefa relied on safety justifications or suspending Russia – even in neutral grounds. More significantly, that decision involved numerous countries threatening a boycott. Ireland would have to risk punishment alone. Courell has insisted the FAI are continuing lobbying efforts for Israel to be banned, but there is scepticism about this among both their members and within Uefa. Member associations closer to Ireland say they are not aware of any overtures. Uefa, however, have intimated they may consider separation of countries based on such tensions in the future. That could be one legacy of this fixture. In just one other break from protocol, meanwhile, the FAI have discussed the game with their squad and manager. “None of us feel comfortable playing these games but once we have decided to play them, we all stick together and play as one,” Hallgrimsson said. Some players are also conscious of how the Nations League could influence qualification for Euro 2028, which Ireland part-host along with Britain. “It’s happening,” says one source, “so players have to treat it as just another game.” Everything around it, however, suggests it is anything but.