The Republic of Ireland have been forced to register Queens Park Rangers defender Jimmy Dunne as a goalkeeper for their Nations League fixture against Israel on Sunday evening. The 28-year-old centre-back, who has spent his entire career as a defender, has been drafted in by head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson following Gavin Bazunu's withdrawal from the squad.
Bazunu's protest withdrawal
The Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper made his decision as a form of protest, given Israel's ongoing conflict with Palestine. Announcing his decision on Instagram, Bazunu said: "My decision is based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong," adding: "It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region."
Ireland have now named Dunne as his replacement, following UEFA's regulations for the Nations League, which require three goalkeepers to be registered in every squad. However, with Caoimhin Kelleher and Max O'Leary serving as Hallgrimsson's first and second choice stoppers for the match, it seems Dunne will stay on the substitutes' bench.
Squad vote on facing Israel
This development comes as Ireland players held a vote on whether to face Israel, given the continuing conflict in Gaza. Football Association of Ireland CEO David Courell said: "The squad were in Pristina yesterday. An extensive conversation took place where ultimately the consensus from the group was to travel to Hungary.
"That was something that we all entered into this window with our intention to fulfil these fixtures and that was the consensus that the group finished on at the end of that two-hour meeting yesterday. This morning a player (now confirmed to be Bazunu) expressed their discomfort with fulfilling this fixture to the head coach and indicated their intent to withdraw from the squad.
"As you can understand, this new variable required time and deliberation for the rest of the squad to consider. What proceeded was another four hours of conversations, predominantly amongst the players themselves but also at times with the coaching staff and at times with the executive."
Courell added: "There was a lot of positions presented and I think it's important to say that from an association perspective and for everyone involved in those conversations, we were fully respectful of everyone's right to their respective opinion on these topics. Ultimately within the last maybe 90 minutes we carried out a vote amongst the squad to establish their sentiment on fulfilling the fixtures and it was a significant majority that was returned with the intention to continue."
Match details and tributes
The fixture will be held at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Hungary at 7.45pm on Sunday, with Israel forced to stage their home matches abroad due to the ongoing conflict in their country. Ireland's players will also wear black armbands in tribute to those who have lost their lives in Gaza, with Courell confirming that additional gestures are planned ahead of kick-off.
He added: "With the players, it was clear that they felt uncomfortable in this environment dealing with all of the respective questions that were coming to them that were not about football. So, one of their requests is to effectively remove their media obligations for the remainder of the window.
"They also have the intention of wearing black armbands in recognition of all lives lost in the conflict. And also there will be elements of the pre-match ceremony that will not be partaken in by the Republic of Ireland." Courell also noted: "Also it is the intention of players and the association to make a significant contribution to charitable donation by virtue of both match fees, but also revenue generated from the Austria fixture in the Aviva later this week."
