The Republic of Ireland’s Nations League fixtures against Israel will go ahead after the players discussed the issue and a majority voted in favour of playing the matches, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) confirmed on Saturday. A pre-match press conference involving the Irish team was delayed on Saturday, while the players also missed their scheduled training session at the Nagyerdei Stadium. The decision came after uncertainty surrounded Monday’s first meeting between the two teams, which is scheduled to be played in Debrecen, Hungary. A group of players was understood to have met at the team hotel to discuss the situation.
The FAI later confirmed that the fixture would take place after consulting the players.
The Republic of Ireland will now face Israel in Debrecen on Monday, with the fixture forming part of their Nations League campaign. The delay had led to speculation that the match could be called off, with reports suggesting that the players were considering issuing a statement. There was also speculation that one player had been unwilling to take part in the fixture. Following that match, Ireland midfielder Jason Knight had expressed his concerns about facing Israel. “It’s difficult. I don’t think the game should be going ahead, but it is going ahead.
We’ll have a deeper talk about it, and what that means, we’ll get our thoughts as a group and go from there,” Knight said to the BBC.
