Ireland press conference cut short before Israel rematch amid racism accusations

The Republic of Ireland's press conference on the eve of their second Nations League game against Israel came to an abrupt end on Saturday as head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson fielded questions from Israeli reporters in Backa Topola, Serbia. The session was halted after a journalist accused Irish players of directing racist insults at their opponents during the first leg, a claim the Football Association of Ireland rejected as completely untrue.

• Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in the first meeting, played in Hungary on Tuesday after a turbulent buildup.
• Irish players wore armbands and lowered their heads during the Israeli anthem, with no handshake between the captains.
• The FAI refused to host the return leg at home for security reasons, so the match is being played in Serbia.
• An Israeli journalist accused Ireland's players of calling Israeli players monkeys, but the FAI denied it immediately.
• Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar accused Dublin of being on the wrong side of history.

Tension in the press room: questions about ideology and racism

The friction peaked when a reporter asked Hallgrimsson about an incident on Wednesday during a Flydubai flight from the UAE to Israel. The journalist questioned the manager about Ireland supporting a movement whose ideology, in his words, is based on murder, and mentioned an alleged attempt to kill 170 Israeli passengers, including 27 children.

An Irish press officer cut the exchange short and made it clear that only football questions would be answered that day. Another journalist then told the manager that Irish players had called Israeli footballers monkeys during the match. An FAI official interrupted immediately and repeatedly insisted the accusation was completely untrue while the microphone was taken away.

FAI denies the accusations and ends the press conference

After the interruption, the journalist exclaimed not to be touched, and the Irish delegation brought the press conference to a sudden close. The FAI maintained throughout that the allegation of racist insults was false, while Israeli authorities had already condemned the behaviour of the Irish players in the first leg.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar accused Dublin of being on the wrong side of history. The atmosphere around this Nations League tie has grown increasingly tense since the Irish squad voted to fulfil the first fixture despite unease within the camp over the war in Gaza.

Hallgrimsson calls for cool heads before Israel vs Ireland in Serbia

Before the press conference turned sour, Hallgrimsson had said that getting through this game as a group would feel like a massive win. The Icelandic coach acknowledged that the team has endured many challenges and plenty of criticism, and that the emotions stirred in Ireland by this fixture also affect the players. For him, surviving the match and staying together would carry special value.

The manager admitted that keeping the focus on football is difficult when the outside noise is so loud. That is why his staff have introduced a change to the pre-match routine: before stepping onto the pitch, players and staff gather in a circle and pray together to settle their nerves. The initiative is led by Conor Coventry, who is now nicknamed Brother Coventry in the squad.

What Ireland can gain from the Nations League return leg

Ireland arrive in Backa Topola with the advantage of the 3-0 win secured in Hungary. The sporting goal is to back up that strong result and keep collecting points in the Nations League group, even though the political and media focus has swallowed much of the sporting narrative. Hallgrimsson's side are looking for a victory that would settle the tie with authority and push the off-field noise into the background.

The match is being played on neutral territory after the FAI ruled out hosting it in Ireland on security grounds. That decision, announced in advance, moved the fixture to Serbia, a setting that has done little to reduce the tension that has built up since the first leg.

The Irish players' gesture during the Israeli anthem

In Tuesday's game in Hungary, Irish players wore armbands and deliberately lowered their heads while the Israeli anthem played. There was also no handshake between the captains before kick-off. Those gestures, seen as a display of discontent over the war in Gaza, were condemned by Israeli authorities and have shaped the buildup to the return leg.

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