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Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson is being criticized for “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy” after he commented about playing Israel in the upcoming UEFA Nations League. The two countries are scheduled to face each other twice in League B, on Sept. 27 and Oct. 4.
When his squad was announced on Thursday, Sept. 17, Hallgrimsson fielded questions about the tournament. Per BBC, when asked about his team’s focus, he said, “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel.”
The Israel Football Association responded to the manager on social media on Monday, Sept. 21 and threw his words back at him.
“Unfortunately, we have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by Ireland’s national team coach,” the organization said in a statement published on X and Instagram. “We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, We’re playing against the coach who embodies them.”
This is the latest development in the tension between Ireland and Israel since the two were paired in the Nations League draw in February. In May, a group of football players and Irish celebrities came together to urge the Football Association of Ireland to boycott the matches.
Last week, UEFA, the organizer of the Nations League, commented on rejecting the Football Association of Ireland’s petition to not pair its national team and Israel in future matches, saying it considered security concerns in its decision. More than 160 Irish athletes have signed an open letter by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group urging the players of the national team to boycott the Nations League fixtures.
“(We) believe playing Israel legitimises a genocidal regime and gives cover for statute violations, apartheid, and war crimes. We refuse to let sport be used in this way,” the letter says. “… (We) appeal to you, as athletes, to act collectively with conscience. We have all competed to the highest level of our respective sports, and some of us have even represented our country, so we understand what it takes to get here – the time, dedication, and sacrifice. We also know what it takes to uphold the values of sport and act with fairness, equality, and respect which is why we call upon you, as a team, to refuse to participate in the two games against Israel.”
Israel and Hamas have been at war in the Gaza Strip for nearly three years. Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing an estimated 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, per Israeli reports. Israel retaliated and has since killed 67,000 people, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, an agency of the Hamas-controlled government. Millions have been displaced as a result of the conflict.
In support of Israel, United States president Donald Trump proposed a 20-point peace plan a year ago, which Hamas partially accepted.
The conflict has caused some countries to recognize a Palestinian state, directly opposing the United States and Israel.
Also last week, Azeez Al-Shaair of the NFL’s Houston Texans was fined $11,492 for writing “Hind Rajab” on his eye black. The words were a tribute to a Palestinian girl who was reportedly killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in January 2024. NBA star Kyrie Irving offered to pay the fine for the linebacker.
In the music industry, Macklemore was dropped as an opening act for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour because of his message to “Free Palestine.”
Contributing: Kathryn Palmer and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy