Wednesday, 14 October 2026NairobiLatest edition
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Ireland confirm Nations League clash with Israel will go ahead after squad vote to play game

Ireland have confirmed that their Uefa Nations League game against Israel being held in Hungary will go ahead as planned on Sunday.The match looked in serious danger of not taking place after a pre-match news conference with manager Heimir Hallgrimsson – who said his squad were “playing against genocide” when announcing his squad for the upcoming fixture – and a player was postponed 15 minutes before it was due to start.Reporters covering the game were told the conference would take place after the team's morning training session but that also failed to happen with the players still in back in their hotel.Then, five hours after the original news conference was due to start, Football Association of Ireland [FAI] chief executive David Courell – flanked by Hallgrimsson and FAI director of football John Martin – announced that a players' vote passed by a significant majority to play the game at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen.But one player, Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, has withdrawn from the squad, while public opinion in Ireland remains opposed to the game taking place.“The squad were in Pristina yesterday. An extensive conversation took place where ultimately the consensus from the group was to travel to Hungary,” Courrell told reporters at the rescheduled press conference.FAI CEO David Courell says a vote took place among the Republic of Ireland squad on whether...

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