Hallgrimsson says Israel 'tried to intimidate' Ireland after alleged spitting in Nations League draw
October 5, 2026 01:51
WHAT HAPPENED
The incident occurred at half-time of the match, played behind closed doors at the TSC Arena in Serbia. Television pictures captured a voice saying "he spat on me" as players made their way down the tunnel. Hallgrimsson said he did not see the incident and added: "[It] was an accusation of spitting on someone but I didn't see it. No, we don't want to talk about this. This will be reviewed, probably like everything else that's happened between the two teams."
Hallgrimsson also said he felt Israel were trying to intimidate the Irish from kick-off but praised his players for remaining composed: "It could have been a game of yellow and red cards but we were composed, the players were composed, they did well in controlling emotions."
Israel head coach Ran Ben-Shimon said he "didn't see anything" regarding the alleged spitting and that he was in his dressing room at half-time. He added he would check when he had the chance. Ben-Shimon denied any team instruction to target individual opponents, saying "it was nothing personal against" Republic of Ireland midfielder Jayson Molumby and: "We just don't do it. We are not men like this."
KEY CONTEXT
Tensions between the sides have been high since they were drawn together in Group B3 in February. The build-up to the fixtures included protests organised by Irish Sport for Palestine and calls for the Republic of Ireland to withdraw because of the ongoing Israel–Gaza war. The games were played at neutral venues, and the teams did not engage in pre-match formalities; the Irish players bowed their heads during Israel's national anthem.
Off-field incidents have also fuelled the discord. Hallgrimsson's pre-match news conference on Saturday was ended after an Israeli reporter raised allegations of racism by Irish players in the previous meeting in Hungary; the FAI communications manager described those allegations as "completely untrue." The FAI is investigating whether Republic of Ireland forward Adam Idah was racially abused by Israel fans during the first match in Debrecen. Midfielder Jayson Molumby spoke to match officials during play about what he believed to be abusive chanting from some Israel supporters.
The Republic of Ireland squad also faced internal dissent: goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu said it would be "wrong" for him to participate and made himself unavailable for the fixtures, though the FAI proceeded to fulfil both matches.