Ireland coach alleges spitting as Israel 'tried to intimidate' in fractious Nations League draw

Republic of Ireland coaching staff member Damien Doyle alleged he was spat at by an Israeli player during a half-time fracas in a fractious 1-1 Nations League draw at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia, with Irish head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson claiming Israel were “trying to intimidate” his side from the opening whistle.

The match, nominally a home fixture for Ireland, was held on neutral territory in Serbia due to “operational challenges” amid heightened tensions between the two nations over the Israel-Gaza war. Security personnel intervened to separate the players at half-time, and referee Juan Martinez Munuera warned both sides to “be clever” before the second half got under way.

The Irish Times reported Doyle’s spitting allegation, and television footage from the tunnel appeared to capture a voice saying “he spat on me” as players left the pitch. Hallgrimsson declined to address the specific incident directly but did not shy away from the broader atmosphere.

“I don’t want to get involved in that, but it’s been like this these two games. It’s tense, it’s a lot of emotions,” Hallgrimsson told Off The Ball. “[It] was an accusation of spitting on someone but I didn’t see it. This will be reviewed, probably like everything else that’s happened between the two teams.”

“I felt like they were trying to intimidate us from kick-off but I give a lot of credit to the players to stay calm. It could have been a game of yellow and red cards but we were composed — the players were composed, they did well in controlling emotions.”

Israel head coach Ran Ben-Shimon said he was in his dressing room at half-time and did not witness the incident, adding that he would investigate when given the opportunity.

The backdrop to the game mirrored the reverse fixture — a 3-0 Ireland win in Hungary — in several symbolic respects. Irish players bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem, and captain Caoimhin Kelleher again declined to shake hands with his Israeli counterpart Dor Peretz, though both exchanged handshakes with match officials. Both sides wore black armbands: Ireland’s acknowledged “all lives lost” in the ongoing conflict, while Israel’s, bearing the inscription “7.10”, commemorated the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.

On the pitch, Troy Parrott continued a remarkable run of form, taking his tally to 10 goals in his last seven competitive internationals for the Republic.