The Israeli government has compared the Republic of Ireland national team to Nazi Germany in a social media post following a controversial Nations League double-header.
Ireland and Israel met twice in recent days, with both fixtures surrounded by tension over the conflict in Gaza. Calls for Ireland to boycott the games were rejected when the squad voted to fulfil the fixtures. Ireland bowed their heads for the Israeli national anthem and refused to shake hands before a 3-0 win, repeating the stance before a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Government social media post
Shortly after kick-off, the Israeli government responded on X, highlighting Ireland's match against Germany in May 1939, months before World War II. The post read: "While some use the football field as their political theatre, for us this is personal. 1939: Irish players raised their arms in salute to Nazi Germany. 2026: Irish players bowed their heads during Israel's anthem."
It continued: "Different generations. The same moral blindness. Today, Israel's players wear black armbands to remember those brutally massacred by Hamas on October 7 - including former professional footballer Lior Asulin. Some of us have skin in the game. Others just make a show of it."
Match incidents
On the pitch, Troy Parrott's penalty gave Ireland the lead in the first half before Dor Peretz equalised for Israel shortly after the break. The Irish Times reported that a member of Ireland's backroom staff alleged he was spat at by an Israel player as both sides headed in for half-time.
Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson acknowledged the spitting accusation but declined to comment, saying he had not witnessed the incident. A day earlier, his pre-match press conference was cut short after an Israeli journalist asked about alleged racial abuse of Israel players by the Ireland team.
Manager's response
After the 1-1 draw, Hallgrimsson praised his side for maintaining discipline given the tension. Ireland sit third in their Nations League group with five points after four games, level with second-placed Kosovo. The manager called for the countries to be kept apart in future competitions.
Asked if the teams should play each other, he told RTE Sport: "No, they shouldn't. That's not ours to decide - that's UEFA who decides that. There's obviously a big support for Palestine in Ireland. There's not many countries that support Palestine as much as Ireland does. I wouldn't wish any national team to go through what we've gone through in these two weeks. So maybe UEFA just needs to step in and do something."
