The Israel Football Association has criticised Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson for remarks he made ahead of the Nations League fixture between the two countries. In a statement posted on social media, the Israeli body hit back at Hallgrimsson, who had said Ireland are "playing against genocide".
Hallgrimsson's comments spark anger
Ireland are scheduled to face Israel on Saturday in the Nations League, with the match being hosted at a neutral venue in Debrecen, Hungary. There have been ongoing calls for a boycott of matches involving Israel amid the situation in Gaza.
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Hallgrimsson said: "I've said before, we're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide. So we're playing against Israel. We're not playing with Israel." He added: "Hopefully we can play good football. That's my job here. I'm hired here to think about the football things and others on other things."
Israel FA's response
In response, the Israel FA's social media account posted a message criticising the Ireland boss. The post read: "We have contributed to the world and humanity in countless fields, earning an impressive number of Nobel Prizes along the way. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by [Ireland's] team coach."
The statement continued: "We're not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, We're playing against the coach who embodies them."
Neutral venues and return fixture
Israel have been playing their home games at neutral venues due to security measures in place since 2023, which is why Ireland will play in Hungary this weekend. The two countries will contest a return fixture a few days later, which has been moved from Ireland to Serbia and will be played behind closed doors.
Hallgrimsson also explained why he found it hard to answer questions ahead of the fixture. "There's not a Uefa ProLicence seminar that prepares you for something like this," he said last week. "It's probably the same for you guys. We're sat here 20, 30 minutes and we haven't spoken a word about football. And this is a press conference on a squad playing four national games."
