Heimir Hallgrimsson was harangued by Israeli reporters as the presser came to a close [Getty]
The Republic of Ireland’s press conference on Saturday on the eve of their second Nations League match against Israel in Serbia was cut short as head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson fielded questions from Israeli journalists, including one who was accused on “lying” against the Irish team.
Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in Hungary in their first match on Tuesday following a turbulent build-up in which the Irish squad voted to fulfil the fixture despite unease amongst the team over the war in Gaza.
During that match the Irish players wore armbands and pointedly lowered their heads while the Israeli national anthem played. There were no handshakes between the captains before kick-off.
With the return leg taking place on Sunday in Backa Topola after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) refused to host the match at home for security reasons, it was the Ireland manager’s pre-match press conference that gave rise to new tensions.
One Israeli journalist questioned Hallgrimsson on his thoughts about the incident on Wednesday during a Flydubai flight from the UAE to Israel, appearing to link the incident with pro-Palestine activism.
“What do you say about the people that you support? Their ideology is based on murder,” one journalist asked.
“Just this week, one of them tried to kill 170 Israeli passengers, including 27 innocent children and thousands of others.”
An Irish press officer replied: “We are not doing any questions like this today. We are doing football questions.”
Another Israeli journalist then addressed the Ireland manager: “Your players call our players monkeys during the match…”.
An FAI official swiftly interrupted the remarks, saying “that is completely untrue”, and “you’ve just broadcast a lie”.
During Ireland’s clash with Israel in September, footage from the game showed Israeli fans directing “monkey chants” at Irish player Adam Idah. At least one Israeli fan was also seen leading chants about the country’s military, which is accused of committing genocide in Gaza, among other atrocities.