Irish national soccer team won't shake hands with Israel after win

JTA - It took only 25 minutes of play for the Irish national soccer team to build a 3-0 lead over Israel in the countries' UEFA Nations League B match on Sunday. But there were decades of bad blood that preceded Ireland's shutout victory in a game dominated more by the geopolitics of the Gaza war than about sports.

One soccer writer described it as "arguably one of the most contentious football matches of this century". At the match, held in a mostly empty stadium in the neutral site of Debrecen, Hungary, the Irish players wore black armbands and bowed their heads in protest during the Israeli national anthem.

There were no pre- or post-game handshakes, and one Irish player declined to participate altogether, citing his "personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong". Ireland's soccer federation did not reserve tickets for its fans, and the country's public broadcaster scaled back its coverage of the game.

The teams are set to meet again on 4 October in Serbia, this time with Ireland as the "home" team. Ireland and Israel have a long history of icy relations.

Ireland became the first member of the European Union to call for an independent Palestinian country in 1980, and was among the first of the Western European countries to recognise an official Palestinian state in 2024. Israel closed its embassy in Dublin in response.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has rejected claims that his country's sharp criticism of Israel bleeds into antisemitism. In the months leading up to Sunday's match, Ireland's football governing body faced intense pressure to boycott the match.

At a meeting in July, the Football Association of Ireland voted 75-32, with three abstentions, in favour of proceeding with the match, "while acknowledging the strength of feeling regarding support for Palestine". The motion also noted that a boycott would come with UEFA sanctions, both financial and competitive: In League B matches, mid-tier nations seek to advance to the top division and boost their chances of qualifying for the quadrennial World Cup tournament.

The Irish team itself also held a last-minute vote over whether to participate. Earlier this month, more than 160 Irish athletes and sports figures signed an open letter calling on the national team to pull out of the match.

The signatories included former Irish national team head coach Brian Kerr - who had led Ireland to a 2-2 draw against Israel in a 2005 match in Dublin that also took place amid protests. Former Irish national team star Kevin Kilbane also authored a column in The Irish Times, writing, "Ireland should not play Israel."