{
  "id": 11646009,
  "title": "Second Israel game won't be a friendly - Hallgrimsson",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/second-israel-game-wont-be-a-friendly-hallgrimsson",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T09:04:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/second-israel-game-wont-friendly-090419650.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has announced that Sunday's second game against Israel will not be a friendly, despite calls for a boycott due to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. Following Israel captain Manor Solomon's comments that \"we have a country 10 times better than theirs,\" Hallgrimsson stated that the match will indeed be challenging for his players. He admitted that the controversy surrounding the fixture has taken its toll on the squad, leading to fatigue during Thursday's 2-2 draw with Austria. Despite the threats of disruption from the \"Stop The Game\" campaign, Hallgrimsson revealed that the Irish fans' support helped buoy the team's morale. He expressed uncertainty about the crowd's impact on the game, stating that the players are ready for the challenge ahead.",
  "summary": "Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson admits Sunday's second game against Israel is \"not going to be a friendly\" following comments from the latter's camp after last week's match in Hungary.",
  "key_points": [
    "Second game against Israel will not be a friendly match.",
    "Israel captain Manor Solomon made provocative comments.",
    "Fatigue affected Irish players during recent draw."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport Football",
        "title": "Second Israel game won't be a friendly - Hallgrimsson",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/second-israel-game-wont-be-a-friendly-hallgrimsson-11652427",
        "published": "2026-10-03T09:04:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}