Heimir Hallgrímsson looked healthy and tanned when he stalled in the mixed zone inside a giant auditorium on the outskirts of Brussels.
The Republic of Ireland had just landed the most controversial Nations League draw imaginable when Patrick Vieira picked out Israel from the glass bowl to go along with Austria and Kosovo.
There was a collective gasp from 54 of Uefa’s 55 member nations that were invited to the Belgian capital. Russia were the only absentee as they remain banned from international football since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Everyone else seemed instantly aware that last November the Football Association of Ireland formally called for Israel to follow the Russian football federation into exile.
The Uefa Congress on Thursday morning did not spend a single second discussing the Irish motion to ban Israel, while the FAI leadership of David Courell and Paul Cooke avoided the microphones, which left Hallgrímsson holding the can.
The 58-year-old was unmoved by the flow of questions about thorny political issues before providing the clearest indication that he would sign a two-year contract extension to guide Ireland into Euro 2028.
“At the moment things look good and positive, so I’d like to stay where I am wanted, and I’d like to stay where there’s a good atmosphere,” he said. “I think we’re improving a lot of things. But obviously we’d like to do more in qualifying for tournaments. The talks are ongoing.”
“We” being Ireland goalkeeper coach Gudmundur Hreidarsson and his two assistant coaches John O’Shea and Paddy McCarthy.
“It’s in a good process. Just positive talks. But we’re not in a hurry to sign. I expect to be the coach until after the World Cup at least. Hopefully that will be mid-July. Whatever happens after this, we’re having good talks. So I’m not worried about that.”
It may have been lost in all the euphoria following Troy Parrott’s hat-trick in Budapest last November, when Ireland beat Hungary to secure a World Cup playoff against the Czech Republic on March 26th, but Hallgrímsson has stated from the outset that his team would qualify for the tournament.
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“My contract ends when this cycle finishes. So we’ve already started talking about the next steps. Just positive, relaxed conversations.”
Would you prefer to have it signed before the playoffs? “No, I don’t need it. I’m confident that they want to keep me. But I really want them to want me. So let’s say after the games, we’ll see how the atmosphere is, how much appetite it is for me to stay on for them. But it’s all positive. I know they like to keep me at this moment.
“If it changes, like I’ve said before, if I’m not wanted, then so be it.”
Thomas Tuchel moved past Hallgrímsson and a wave of reporters turned their recording devices to the England manager, who just signed a two-year extension to keep the German in his adopted country until Euro 2028.
“There’s going to be a lot written about other things than football,” Hallgrímsson added, “but I need to be focused on the players and on the football side.”