UEFA has launched an investigation into an allegation of spitting made by a member of the Republic of Ireland's staff against an Israel player. The match, a 1-1 draw in the Nations League on Sunday, was played behind closed doors at a neutral venue in Serbia and was overshadowed by off-pitch tensions.
Allegation made at half-time
Ireland head of athletic performance Damien Doyle alleged he had been spat at by an Israel player as the teams went down the tunnel for half-time. Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson confirmed there was an allegation, but he admitted he didn't see it, while his Israel counterpart Ran Ben-Shimon also said he didn't see it.
UEFA has now confirmed it has opened an investigation "following a review of the official reports". It added: "An Uefa Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct the appropriate disciplinary investigation regarding potential misconducts from player(s) on the occasion of the Uefa Nations League 2027 League Phase match between Republic of Ireland and Israel, played on 4 October 2026 in Backa Topola, Serbia."
Matches played amid tensions
The two meetings between the countries during the international break came amid huge tensions, with calls for Ireland to boycott the matches in protest over the conflict in Gaza. While the games did go ahead, goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu refused to play against Israel, Ireland's players bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem and refused to shake hands with their opponents.
Hallgrimsson had a heated interaction with an Israeli reporter and addressed the spitting allegation post-match. "I don't want to get involved in that, but it's been like this these two games. It's tense, it's a lot of emotions," Hallgrimsson said. "[It] was an accusation of spitting on someone but I didn't see it. No, we don't want to talk about this. This will be reviewed, probably like everything else that's happened between the two teams."
Coaches respond
"I felt like they were trying to intimidate us from kick-off but I give a lot of credit to the players to stay calm. It could have been a game of yellow and red cards but we were composed, the players were composed, they did well in controlling emotions," he added.
Israel head coach Ben-Shimon added: "[At] half-time I was in the dressing room, my room, with my staff. I didn't see anything. When I get the chance to check I will get back to you. I didn't see anything, I was in my room."
Hallgrimsson's side won the first fixture 3-0 before drawing in Serbia, but he has called for the two sides to be kept apart in future. Asked if the two countries should be playing each other again, he told RTE Sport: "No, they shouldn't."
"That's not ours to decide - that's UEFA who decides that. Obviously, there's a big support for Palestine in Ireland. There's not many countries that support Palestine as much as Ireland does," he said. "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."
