{
  "id": 10176663,
  "title": "'I'm a man of strong faith,' says Irish goalkeeper after withdrawing from Israel match",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/im-a-man-of-strong-faith-says-irish-goalkeeper-after-withdrawing-from",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-27T08:26:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/im-man-strong-faith-says-irish-goalkeeper-after-withdrawing-israel-match"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Irish goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has announced his withdrawal from the Republic of Ireland's upcoming Nations League match against Israel, citing his staunch opposition to the intentional killing of civilians. In a statement on social media, Bazunu emphasized his belief that \"the killing of innocent people is wrong.\" He further stated, \"Representing my country means everything to me. I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of morals and principles, therefore I feel that participating in the upcoming matches against Israel would be wrong.\"\n\nDespite Bazunu's decision, the Republic of Ireland will still field a team to play Israel on Sunday at the Uefa Nations League match in Debrecen, Hungary, as per the report. The team voted decisively to proceed with the fixture following several hours of deliberation at their hotel. In solidarity with Bazunu, the Republic of Ireland will wear black armbands during the match and will refrain from shaking hands with the Israeli players before the game starts.",
  "summary": "'I'm a man of strong faith,' says Irish goalkeeper after withdrawing from Israel match Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has withdrawn from the team’s Nations League match against Israel, saying his decision was based on his opposition to the killing of civilians. “My decision is based purely on the belief the killing of innocent people is wrong,” Bazunu said in a statement posted on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}