Republic of Ireland to wear black armbands vs Israel after squad vote

Republic of Ireland have confirmed they will wear black armbands for Sunday’s Nations League game against Israel in Hungary, in recognition of “all lives lost” in the Gaza conflict, after the fixture was cleared to go ahead, according to BBC Sport. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) also said one player withdrew from the squad before the match.

A decision after last-minute doubt

FAI chief executive David Courell explained that a vote among the squad produced a “significant majority” in favour of playing. He added that a pre-match news conference scheduled to start at 09:15 BST was delayed minutes before it began, with reporters told it would move to after training.

The Bazunu protest

Later on Saturday, goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu posted his reasoning, saying he had “not taken lightly” his choice not to participate in the Israel fixtures. He stressed his stance was based on the belief that killing innocent people is wrong, and said it was not against Israel’s people or the Jewish community.

Hallgrimsson said the withdrawal changed the “balance” of whether to play, and that all the other players trained. Courell also said further gestures are planned for the return match next Sunday in Serbia, alongside charitable contributions connected to both Israel fixtures.