Celtic defender Liam Scales has been dropped to the bench for Ireland in their controversial clash with Israel.
The build-up for the Nations League fixture in Hungary on Sunday night has been dogged by a huge row, with Israel banned by UEFA from hosting games on home soil due to security fears amid the war in Gaza.
Protests and tensions in the Ireland camp
There have been strong protests against the fixture in Ireland, with pressure group 'Irish Sport for Palestine' organising a "Stop the Game" campaign amid the UN-defined genocide in Gaza.
On Saturday, tensions reached a boiling point in the Ireland camp as goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu revealed he would boycott the game, leading to a tense meeting between the players, management and Irish FA representatives on whether they would play the game.
Vote in favour of playing
However, after a delay to training and at the press conference, the governing body revealed the game would go ahead after the team voted in favour of playing, with CEO David Courell claiming a "significant majority" wanted to play.
Scales was among the group who "provided support" for Gavin Bazunu during the meeting, with reports suggesting the team had voted 14-8 in favour of playing the game.
Scales benched
Now the Celtic man has been put on the bench by Heimir Hallgrimsson for the clash. The 28-year-old started at left-back in the previous Nations League fixture, a surprise defeat to Kosovo.
