Ireland vs Israel: The bitter fallout over Nations League football protests

Ireland's football team faces Israel in Serbia on Sunday evening, playing under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row sparked by Irish protests during their last meeting.

When the two sides met in Debrecen, Hungary, the Irish players chose to turn the pre-match protocols into a public demonstration. They stood with bowed heads during the Israeli national anthem, refused to shake hands with their opponents, declined to exchange team pennants, and wore black armbands. Ireland won the match 3-0, but the fallout from what happened before kickoff has dominated the build-up to the return fixture in Nations League Group B3.

What triggered the row?

The Football Association of Ireland and the players have indicated that their gestures were a protest against the war in Gaza, with the black armbands intended as a tribute to all lives lost in the conflict.

But the display has drawn fierce condemnation. Critics argue that by refusing basic pre-match courtesies to individual athletes, the Irish team crossed the line from political protest into personal ostracisation. Writing in the Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Jonathan Lieberman described the actions as a "calculated, collective humiliation" that treated Israeli footballers as if they were contaminated.

He also pointed out the internal contradictions of the protest, noting that Israel's squad is multi-ethnic and included Arab-Israeli forward Anan Khalaili in the starting lineup. "Were the Irish players nobly refusing to shake the hands of 'oppressors', even when one of the men in the Israeli shirt was himself an Arab?" Lieberman wrote, arguing that the protest reduced a complex national identity to a single, shameful caricature.

Historical parallels and accusations

The row has also forced a uncomfortable look at history. Detractors of the Irish protest have argued that a country with Ireland's history of political violence should understand the danger of collective guilt. During the Troubles, Irish citizens routinely objected when IRA atrocities, such as the 1996 Manchester bombing or the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing, were used to smear all Irish people.

Critics also point to historical diplomatic missteps, such as Taoiseach Éamon de Valera offering condolences to Germany's representative in Dublin after Adolf Hitler's death in 1945, as evidence of a flawed moral compass in Irish foreign relations. The Irish team, critics say, have shown a selective morality by failing to acknowledge the Israeli victims of the October 7 attacks while making highly visible public protests when Israel fights back.

What happens next on the pitch?

Amid the political noise, there is still a football match to be played at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia, where Israel is hosting its home games due to security concerns.

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s Ireland side are looking to steady their Nations League campaign. They sit third in the group on four points, level with Kosovo and three points behind leaders Austria, after letting a 2-0 lead slip to draw 2-2 against the Austrians in Dublin.

Both squads are dealing with significant selection issues. Ireland will be without defender Dara O'Shea, who has remained at home as his wife is due to give birth, and goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who chose not to travel. Josh Keeley has stepped into the squad as cover. Israel are missing goalkeeper Daniel Peretz through a groin injury, though winger Manor Solomon is expected to feature despite a persistent back problem.