Republic of Ireland plan to play second Israel match, Hallgrimsson says

Republic of Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said on 30 September that his team intends to play its second Nations League match against Israel on Sunday 4 October at TSC Arena in Bačka Topola, Serbia. The statement matters because he had said the previous day that the squad would discuss whether to play the fixture after Thursday's game against Austria. The Israel match remains scheduled; it has not yet taken place.

Hallgrimsson told BBC Sport that the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had intended to play both Israel games when the squad assembled and that the plan had not changed. ‘It is already decided we will fulfil the games,’ he said. He also said he was unaware of a players' meeting to decide whether to play Sunday's match.

What changed in Hallgrimsson's account of the Israel fixture

The Irish Times reported on 29 September that Hallgrimsson had said the players would face Austria first and then discuss the second Israel game. ‘We haven't decided what we will do [on Sunday],’ he said in that account. He described giving players a day off before they returned to prepare for Austria, with the Israel discussion to follow.

His latest comments give a different answer about the team's intention to play. The reports do not establish why his account changed or whether the players held another vote. Hallgrimsson's statement establishes the current plan to fulfil the fixture, rather than the result of a match still several days away.

Where Ireland and Israel are scheduled to play

Sunday's game is designated as an Ireland home fixture, but it is scheduled for the TSC Arena in Bačka Topola, Serbia. RTÉ reported the FAI's confirmation that it would take place behind closed doors at the 4,500-capacity ground. The association said operational challenges could affect its ability to stage the game on home soil and that UEFA had approved the move to a neutral venue.

The venue decision predates this week's comments about whether the squad would participate. RTÉ reported it in June, alongside the plan to stage the earlier Israel fixture in Hungary. The separate questions of where the game would be played and whether Ireland's players would take part became intertwined after the squad debated the first match.

Before Sunday, Ireland are due to play Austria in Dublin on Thursday 1 October. Hallgrimsson made his latest comments ahead of that match. He told BBC Sport he was concentrating on the football and would leave security matters to others when asked about possible protests. The BBC also reported that Ireland's most recent home game, a May friendly against Qatar, was interrupted when fans threw tennis balls bearing the Palestine flag onto the pitch.

Bazunu's position and the squad's earlier vote

Bazunu has said he is unwilling to take part in either Israel game. The Irish Times reported that he was available for selection against Austria but would not travel to Bačka Topola. BBC Sport reported that he had returned to training before the Austria match and that Hallgrimsson said goalkeeper Josh Keeley would take his place in the squad for the second Israel fixture.

Hallgrimsson praised Bazunu and his teammates for how they had handled the disagreement. He told BBC Sport that the players had welcomed the goalkeeper back into training. In his earlier remarks to The Irish Times, he said squad members had different opinions and backgrounds and should all be able to have a say. Those comments underline why a statement about the team's collective plan should not be read as a claim that every player has agreed to participate.

The dispute has unfolded amid calls for Ireland to withdraw from the games because of the Israel-Gaza war. BBC Sport reported that the Stop The Game campaign, organised by Irish Sport for Palestine, issued an open letter this week urging withdrawal from Sunday's behind-closed-doors match. The same report said Ireland's players wore black armbands, did not take part in pre-match formalities and bowed their heads during Israel's anthem at the first fixture.

Ireland's next immediate fixture is Austria in Dublin. The second Israel match is scheduled to follow in Serbia on Sunday. Whether any further squad discussion occurs before then is not established by the published accounts; Hallgrimsson's 30 September statement is that the team intends to play.