Republic of Ireland confirm Israel game will go ahead

The Republic of Ireland delayed their pre-match news conference for Sunday's UEFA Nations League game against Israel in Hungary. The fixture, which has been called for boycott by campaigners, is scheduled to take place at 19:45 BST. The Irish team will face Israel in Debrecen, with a return fixture in Backa Topola, Serbia on 4 October.

Calls for a boycott have grown due to the Israel-Gaza war, with the Stop The Game campaign organized by Irish Sport for Palestine gathering momentum. Former Ireland manager Brian Kerr and ex-international James McClean have supported the boycott. However, there are also Irish supporters who believe the match should proceed with supporters in attendance.

Ireland's manager Heimir Hallgrimsson and a player were set to meet the media at 09:15 BST, but the conference was postponed shortly afterwards. The Uefa official then informed waiting media teams that the press conference had been delayed until after training, which would have been around 11:30 BST. The news conference was never given a confirmed time, and the training session was also postponed without a specified time for its rescheduling.

The controversy surrounding the fixture began when the two teams were drawn in Group B3. Players had a team meeting on Friday to discuss their views on the game and the following fixture in Serbia. It was expected that players would release a statement at the Saturday news conference, but the delay has added to the uncertainty, with at least one player reportedly considering withdrawal from the squad.

The news conference, originally planned at the stadium, is now set to be held at the team hotel, with Uefa unable to provide details on the delay. The conflict escalated on 7 October 2023 when Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel initiated a significant military offensive in Gaza, resulting in over 73,000 deaths according to Hamas-run health ministry figures, which are considered reliable by the United Nations.