Soccer

Ireland's players discussed the possibility of staging some form of protest before the match, but Early questioned what such a gesture would mean if they were going to take the field regardless.

There were no comparable gestures from the Irish soccer team for the Israelis massacred on October 7.

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.

Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was shown a red card after celebrating his goal against Austria by using the corner flag to mimic a gun, leaving Israel with 10 players in a 3-1 Nations League defeat.

"This news is a reminder that the idea that Jewish people are not sporty is a myth laced with antisemitic tropes about Jewish physical weakness," Campaign Against Antisemitism said.

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."

The coach's comments followed an open letter asking the Ireland national football team to boycott its upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel.

Irish Sport for Palestine said the signatories included Olympian Ciara Mageean, former footballer Louise Quinn, former rugby flyhalf Tony Ward, and boxers Tyrone McKenna and Eric Donovan.