Israel FA comments on Hallgrimsson 'unacceptable' - Irish taoiseach Martin
Irish taoiseach Micheal Martin says comments made by the Israel Football Association about the Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson are "unacceptable".
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin has condemned comments made by the Israel Football Association (IFA) regarding Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, stating that they are "unacceptable" and should be withdrawn. The IFA accused Hallgrimsson of "ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity" following his remarks about the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Hallgrimsson had stated that "we are not playing with genocide, we are playing against genocide. We are playing against Israel, we are not playing with Israel." The two teams are scheduled to meet twice in the space of a week in the UEFA Nations League, with one match in Hungary and another in Serbia. The IFA's message on X platform accused Hallgrimsson's team of embodying "ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity" and stated that they will not play against "ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity."
Martin, speaking in New York, emphasized that Hallgrimsson's comments reflect the gravity of the situation in Gaza and criticized Israel for denying the reality of the situation.
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