Irish taoiseach [prime minister] Micheal Martin has described the Israel Football Association’s statements about Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson as “unacceptable” and called for them to be retracted.
Israel’s football authorities accused Hallgrimsson of showing “ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity” after he said last week: “We are not playing alongside genocide; we are standing against it. Our opponent is Israel, and we are not playing with Israel.”
The two sides will face each other twice within one week in the Nations League. Israel’s designated home match will take place in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday, while the second fixture is scheduled for 4 October at the neutral venue of Backa Topola, Serbia.
In a message published on X on Monday, the Israel FA said: “Our country has made significant contributions to humanity across numerous fields and has received an impressive number of Nobel Prizes.
“However, a remedy has yet to be discovered for the stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy demonstrated by the @IrelandFootball manager.
“We are not competing with ignorance, hypocrisy or stupidity; we are facing a coach whom we believe represents those qualities.”
The Football Association of Ireland [FAI] did not issue a response, but Martin addressed the dispute.
Speaking to reporters in New York while attending the UN General Assembly, he said: “Those comments are unacceptable and must be retracted.”
“Our position is very clear. As [UN secretary-general] Antonio Guterres reiterated this morning, he has never witnessed death and destruction on such a scale during his lifetime. He was referring to the Israeli government’s military campaign in Gaza following the appalling Hamas attack that came before it. Our manager is expressing the same view.
“Israel cannot continue to reject what people around the world can see and understand.”
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