Bazunu boycotts Ireland vs Israel as teammates hold emergency meeting over Nations League fixture

Gavin Bazunu has become the first Republic of Ireland player to formally refuse to take part in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League match against Israel in Hungary, with his teammates now holding an emergency meeting to consider whether more will follow.

The Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper, Ireland’s second-choice stopper, informed FAI bosses of his decision on Friday, according to the Telegraph. The development has thrown the fixture into serious doubt, with sources suggesting additional players are weighing up the same course of action.

The match has been the subject of intense scrutiny in the weeks leading up to it. An open letter signed by more than 160 Irish athletes called on the Football Association of Ireland to withdraw from the fixture entirely, while protests were held outside the squad’s hotel in Dublin earlier this week. The pre-match press conference scheduled for Saturday morning was cancelled and rescheduled at short notice, with no explanation provided.

The backdrop to the unrest is the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. A UN-commissioned inquiry has found that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians. More than 73,000 people have been killed following Israeli military action launched in response to the Hamas attack on the Nova Festival in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people.

Ireland captain Dara O’Shea acknowledged the weight of the situation ahead of the emergency discussions. “We’ve got to respect each other’s opinions and each other’s views and really sit down and take the time, because it deserves the time to talk about,” he said. “Whatever decision that we go through as players is taken as one and everybody’s view is respected as well.”

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson added further tension earlier in the week when he stated: “We are not playing with genocide. We are playing against genocide. We are playing against Israel; we are not playing with Israel.” The Israeli Football Association responded sharply, issuing a statement that accused Hallgrimsson of displaying “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy”.

The FAI itself voted last year to submit a motion to UEFA calling for Israel to be banned from club and international competitions, citing two alleged rule violations: organising clubs in occupied Palestine without the permission of the Palestinian FA, and failing to enforce an effective anti-racism policy. That motion was ultimately unsuccessful.