Republic of Ireland to fulfil controversial Israel Nations League fixtures after squad vote

The Republic of Ireland will play their UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel after a majority of the squad voted in favour of proceeding, the Football Association of Ireland confirmed on Saturday. The opening match takes place on Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary.

Doubts had surrounded the fixture after a planned press conference was postponed and squad members gathered for internal discussions at the team hotel, causing them to miss a scheduled media briefing and a training session at the Nagyerdei Stadium.

In a statement, the FAI said: “The Association made this decision following consultation with the Republic of Ireland players who shared different views and a majority expressed that the fixtures should be played. The Association respects the views of all players involved and appreciates the level of sensitivity concerning these fixtures.”

UEFA representatives were initially unclear about the cause of the delay, though players had already signalled their intention to meet on Friday. Reports on Saturday morning suggested a squad member had refused to feature, with speculation mounting that a collective statement was imminent. Failure to fulfil fixture obligations can result in warnings or financial penalties from UEFA.

Midfielder Jason Knight, speaking after Thursday’s 1-0 Nations League defeat to Kosovo in Pristina, acknowledged the difficulty of the situation. “I don’t think the game obviously should be going ahead but it is going ahead,” Knight said. “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 added that he would attempt to focus on the football while reserving the right to share his personal views on the Israel fixtures at a time of his choosing. “I’ll try and focus on the football as much as I can. I’ll give my view and my thoughts on it when I see fit.”

Ireland head into Sunday’s match having already lost their opening Nations League game, leaving them under early pressure in the group.