Ireland vs Israel Nations League match will go ahead, coach confirms

Ireland vs Israel Nations League match will go ahead, coach confirmsThe Ireland" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="123590" data-entity-type="organization">Football Association of Ireland says the team will fulfil the second fixture despite public opposition.Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says his team will play their second Nations League football match against Israel on Sunday despite opposition from the Irish public and a public boycott by a player due to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.“The FAI [Ireland" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="123590" data-entity-type="organization">Football Association of Ireland] has said we are playing both games,” Hallgrimsson told a news conference in Dublin on Wednesday.“That was our intention when we came into the camp, and it is still our intention,” the Icelandic coach added.“We are trying to focus on the football. It is already decided we will fulfil the games.”Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in Hungary on Sunday following a turbulent build-up in which the squad voted to fulfil the fixture after goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu pulled out a day before the game.Israeli supporters were accused of directing racist chants towards Irish forward Adam Idah and were filmed raising military slogans during the match, but evaded disciplinary action from the competition’s organisers.The 25-year-old Ireland international, born to a Nigerian father and an Irish mother, was targeted with “monkey chants”, as videos circulating on social media showed, but the fans’ behaviour has gone unpunished by UEFA.An Israeli supporter also led chants about his country’s military from the stands as he attempted to brush aside the team’s drubbing on the football pitch.According to reports in the Irish media, UEFA confirmed that racist abuse by Israeli fans towards Idah occurred, but that the matter cannot be investigated because the protocols were not followed by Irish players and officials.