Micheál Martin condemned a post by the Israel Football Association attacking Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson as "unacceptable" and called for it to be withdrawn. The row follows Hallgrímsson's comment that the team was "playing against genocide," and the Israel FA's reply labeling him "ignorant" and "hypocritical." Nations League fixtures will be held at neutral venues in Debrecen and Backa Topola amid growing protests and calls in Ireland for a boycott. Background context notes the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack and the subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza, with casualty figures reported by Gaza's health ministry and disputed characterizations of the campaign.
Ireland's Taoiseach Urges Israel FA To Withdraw ‘Unacceptable’ Attack On Manager
Martin was speaking from New York where he is attending the UN General Assembly [Getty Images]
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin condemned a post by the Israel Football Association (Israel FA) that attacked Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson, calling the remarks "unacceptable" and urging they be withdrawn.
The dispute follows Hallgrímsson's on-record comments last week:
"We're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide. We're playing against Israel, we're not playing with Israel."
In response the Israel FA posted on X (formerly Twitter), accusing the Irish coach of "ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity." The association's message said, in part:
"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 @IrelandFootball team coach. We're not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, We're playing against the coach who embodies them."
The Nations League fixtures between the teams will be played at neutral venues: Israel's designated "home" match in Debrecen, Hungary, and the return fixture in Backa Topola, Serbia, both scheduled within a week of each other.
Political Fallout and Reactions
While the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) did not immediately respond to the Israel FA post, Taoiseach Micheál Martin criticized the language publicly while attending the UN General Assembly in New York. He described the Israel FA’s wording as "unacceptable" and said it should be withdrawn.
Martin echoed concerns expressed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres about the scale of death and destruction in Gaza following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack that precipitated the current conflict, saying:
"Our manager is saying the exact same thing."
Calls to boycott the ties have grown in Ireland. A demonstration took place at the Republic of Ireland team hotel in Dublin, and the Irish Sport for Palestine Group published an open letter—signed by more than 160 Irish sportspeople—urging the FAI to withdraw from the fixtures because of the situation in Gaza.
Background
On 7 October 2023 the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took some 251 hostages. Israel responded with a large-scale military offensive in Gaza.
According to Gaza's health ministry, which is run by Hamas and which the UN has treated as a primary source for casualty counts in the territory, more than 73,000 people have been killed during the offensive. Israel rejects allegations that it has committed genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity, saying its operations are carried out in self-defence and in accordance with international law.
This incident highlights how geopolitical conflict is spilling into sport, raising questions about the boundaries between political expression and sporting rivalry ahead of the Nations League matches.
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