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Uefa has opened an investigation into the half-time confrontation where an Israel player allegedly spat at a member of the Republic of Ireland’s backroom staff.
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in Ireland’s designated home Nations League fixture in Backa Topola, Serbia, on Sunday, a week after Ireland secured a 3-0 victory in Israel’s assigned home match in Debrecen, Hungary.
The build-up to both fixtures was heavily fraught, with the Irish squad coming under pressure to refuse to play over Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Tensions spilled over in the second meeting as an altercation occurred during the interval at the TSC Arena, with it understood Ireland’s fitness coach Damien Doyle alleged he was spat at by an Israel player.
The European governing body has now confirmed it will look at the incident, with a spokesperson saying: “Following a review of the official reports which contained an allegation of an incident in or around the tunnel at half-time, a Uefa ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to conduct the appropriate disciplinary investigation regarding potential misconducts from player(s) on the occasion of the Uefa Nations League 2027 league phase match between Republic of Ireland and Israel, played on 4 October 2026 in Backa Topola, Serbia.”
This was one of a number of incidents that unfolded during and in the build-up to both Nations League matches.
During a pre-match press conference the previous day, an Israeli journalist alleged that Irish players had directed the word “monkeys” at Israeli opponents during the first match. This drew a swift rejection from Irish communications officer Kieran Crowley, who declared the allegation “a lie” before bringing the conference to an immediate end.
Meanwhile, Ireland forward Adam Idah, who is Black, was allegedly subjected to racial abuse by a small section of Israeli fans during the initial fixture.
After the 1-1 draw Republic boss Heimir Hallgrimsson said he felt the sides should not play each other, calling on Uefa to “step in and do something”.
“There is obviously a big support for Palestine in Ireland. There are not many countries that support Palestine as much as Ireland does,” Hallgrimsson said. “I wouldn’t wish any national team to go through what we have gone through these two weeks, so maybe Uefa just needs to step in and do something.”
The Republic sit third in group B3 after their first four Nations League fixtures.
In November they travel to meet leaders Austria in Linz then conclude the group stage against second-placed Kosovo in Dublin.
Additional reporting from PA
