Irish players had been under pressure from home \u2013 where affinity with Palestinians is strong \u2013 to boycott the second match<\/a> against Israel, although the pressure seemed greater during the first game.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt that pressure growing day by day and it\u2019s getting almost to a breaking limit now,\u201d Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said at the time.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at the events surrounding the fixture:<\/p>\n What are the spitting allegations against Israel?<\/p>\n Irish media reported that one of Ireland\u2019s coaches, Damien Doyle, had accused an Israeli player of spitting at him<\/a> after the half-time whistle.<\/p>\n \u201cI was there. I\u2019m not going to comment. It\u2019s something a disciplinary committee will look at,\u201d Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said when asked by reporters about the incident.<\/p>\n Israel coach Ran Ben-Shimon said he had already left the sideline and did not see what happened.<\/p>\n \u201cHalf-time, I was in the dressing room, in my room with my \u2060\u2060staff; I didn\u2019t see anything. When I\u2019m going to see and check, I will get \u2060\u2060back to you with the answer,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n Will UEFA take action against Israeli players?<\/p>\n There is no clarity yet on whether European football\u2019s governing body will sanction the players.<\/p>\n UEFA and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have not responded to Al Jazeera\u2019s request for comment on whether a disciplinary inquiry has been opened into the incident.<\/p>\n While spitting incidents in football are not uncommon, there have been none previously reported between Irish and Israeli players.<\/p>\n Why did Ireland\u2019s players not shake hands with Israelis?<\/p>\n Ahead of the first fixture, Israel was informed in advance by the FAI that Ireland\u2019s players would not shake hands as a form of silent protest and UEFA accepted the arrangement.<\/p>\n It was one of several protest measures unveiled by David Courell, FAI CEO, at the pre-match news conference. He said there would be no exchange of the customary pennant before the game and that Irish players would wear black armbands in honour of all the victims of Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza, while donating their match fees to charity.<\/p>\n Irish players also bowed their heads while Israel\u2019s national anthem was being played.<\/p>\n Ireland is one of Europe\u2019s most outspoken critics of Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza and the FAI chose to stage Sunday\u2019s match behind closed doors in Serbia amid the pressure to withdraw from the fixtures.<\/p>\n Will Ireland and Israel face each other again?<\/p>\n No, Sunday\u2019s match was the second and final fixture between the two sides in the group stage. They will not face each other again in the current Nations League cycle.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m absolutely delighted this is finished,\u201d Hallgrimsson said after Sunday\u2019s match, according to Ireland\u2019s national broadcaster RTE.<\/p>\n When asked whether Ireland and Israel should be drawn in the same group at such tournaments, he said: \u00a0\u201cNo, we shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s not for us to decide. It\u2019s UEFA that decides that.\u201d<\/p>\n The Icelandic coach went on to talk about the toll it took on his players.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t wish for any national team to go through what we have gone through these two weeks. So maybe UEFA just needs to step in and do something.\u201d<\/p>\n Hallgrimsson underscored the Irish support for Palestine<\/a>, saying emotions ran high due to the sentiment.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s obviously a big support for Palestine in Ireland. There\u2019s not many countries that support Palestine as much as Ireland does.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, while UEFA uses a computer-generated system to sort the 54 nations into four pots to create groups, it has certain draw conditions in place to keep certain teams apart due to geopolitical or travel restraints.<\/p>\n The only \u201cprohibited clash\u201d in the 2026-27 cycle was between Bosnia and Herzegovina (League B, pot 2) and Kosovo (League B, pot 4).<\/p>\n Other teams that will not be drawn together due to political reasons based on the UEFA Executive Committee\u2019s decision are:<\/p>\n Armenia and Azerbaijan Ireland player Finn Azaz, whose mother has Israeli heritage, was benched for both fixtures after Hallgrimsson said he \u201cdidn\u2019t feel he was ready for the game\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously we spoke a lot together and it was just tough on him. I could feel it when I spoke to him,\u201d the Ireland manager told the public broadcaster.<\/p>\n \u201cIt tested him more than all of us. So I just felt it was better to leave him out than play him.\u201d<\/p>\n Why were Irish players wearing black armbands?<\/p>\n Ireland players wore black armbands in both fixtures in recognition of Palestinians killed in Gaza.<\/p>\n Israel, meanwhile, wore black armbands featuring \u201c7.10\u201d, a reference to October 7, when armed fighters from Palestinian group Hamas launched attacks in southern Israel<\/a>, which then launched its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.<\/p>\n Have other teams worn armbands at international matches before?<\/p>\n Yes, several teams have worn black armbands to commemorate a player or coach who has passed.<\/p>\n Portugal wore black armbands and observed a moment of silence for midfielder Diogo Jota <\/a>who was killed in a car crash in July 2025. The team then transitioned to longer-term tributes through custom wristbands bearing the name of Jota and the squad when they competed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/AFP__20261001__C9YR89T__v1__HighRes__FblEurNationsIrlIsrProtest-1791204913.jpg\")
Placards urging Ireland\u2019s football team not to play against Israel [Paul Faith\/AFP]Does UEFA separate teams due to political reasons?<\/p>\n
\nGibraltar and Spain
\nKosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina
\nKosovo and Serbia
\nKosovo and Russia
\nUkraine and Russia
\nUkraine and Belarus
\nWhy did Ireland\u2019s Finn Azaz not play against Israel?<\/p>\n