Israeli football

Ireland will play Sunday’s Nations League match against Israel following a squad vote, even as goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the team in protest.

The mayor of the Belgian city of Leuven, Mohamed Ridouani, decided that no Israeli team would play in the city's stadium because of security concerns.

Ben Shimon said Israel’s objective in the Nations League is clear: challenge for the top two places while recognizing the competition’s importance as a pathway toward the European Championship.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin defended coach Heimir Hallgrimsson after he claimed that Ireland wasn't "playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide."

'When an Israeli player succeeds, it opens the door for others,' Tai Baribo told The Jerusalem Post, adding that his personal focus is on reaching the playoffs and his own scoring targets.

The yellow-and-blue are a perfect 4-0, with wins over Israeli league heavyweights Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Beersheba and Hapoel Tel Aviv, including a convincing 4-1 derby victory at Bloomfield Stadium.

Amir Ganah pulled a goal back to cut the lead to 2-1 at halftime. Sokler found the back of the net again off a Varela cross, while Peretz added a marker as well to take the 4-1 win.

"We could have pressed more and been more aggressive, we could have done a better job against a team like Maccabi Tel Aviv who were coming off a tough loss," Haifa coach Barak Bachar said.

"We had negotiated the acquisition of Khalaili, who failed the medical examinations, as communicated to us by CONI," Inter Milan president Giuseppe Marotta announced.

The match would be played during a symbolic tournament in the US, with players from all 211 of FIFA’s member associations present, including Russia.