Republic of Ireland and Israel football matches marked by protests and commemorations
What happened
Republic of Ireland players declined pre-match handshakes and pennant exchanges during UEFA Nations League matches against Israel, following an announcement by the Football Association of Ireland that no handshake would take place.
During the matches, Irish players wore black armbands and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem, while the Israeli team wore black armbands to commemorate victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
Ireland recorded a 3-0 victory over Israel during their fixture in Hungary.
Why it matters
The actions by Irish players and officials occurred amid pressure from the 'Stop The Game' campaign, which advocates for a boycott of matches against Israel in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Context
The 'Stop The Game' campaign is organized by the group Irish Sport for Palestine, which argues that competing against Israel constitutes complicity in sportswashing.
Sources 6 sources
This briefing cites 4 publishers across 4 detected independent reporting streams.
- Belfastlive Republic of Ireland v Israel: No pre-match handshakes in controversial UEFA Nations League fixture
- Headtopics Ireland Players Bow Heads During Israel Anthem in Nations League Clash
- Headtopics Ireland Again Boycott Handshakes and Bow During Israel Nations League Match
- Indiavision India News & Information Ireland defeats Israel in controversial UEFA Nations League match
- News Israel wear black armbands in Ireland tie over Hamas attack
- Wikipedia Stop The Game Background reference · Wikipedia text used under CC BY-SA 4.0.