Ireland Squad Votes 14-8 to Play Israel in Nations League After Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu Withdraws

Ireland's Nations League fixture against Israel is going ahead Sunday after a squad vote settled a day of chaos in Debrecen, Hungary. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who plays for Bolton Wanderers, withdrew from the squad Saturday morning, and Ireland's scheduled press conference and training session were both scrapped while players spent roughly four hours deliberating.

Football Association of Ireland chief executive David Courell told reporters the squad reached a 'significant majority' in favor of playing, though he would not confirm exact numbers. Yahoo Sports and PA reported the vote split 14-8 in favor of fulfilling the fixture, a number the FAI itself has not officially verified.

'Based on that, the association took the decision on behalf of Irish football that this fixture would continue, as we have always intended to fulfil the fixtures,' Courell said.

Bazunu's stand and the manager's retraction

Bazunu explained his decision on Instagram: 'I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel. My decision is based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.' The 24-year-old said the choice was not taken lightly and expressed respect for his teammates and the manager.

Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson had complicated matters a day earlier by telling reporters the squad was 'playing against genocide,' according to The National News. He later walked that back, calling it 'a strong word and the wrong word' to use. He clarified: 'By playing we are not accepting what is happening in Gaza. By playing the players are not supporting what is happening in Gaza.'

Midfielder Jason Knight was the most vocal player publicly opposed to playing. Speaking after Ireland's 1-0 loss to Kosovo on Thursday, Knight said, 'I don't think obviously the game should be going ahead but it is going ahead.' He added he intends to focus on his football and give his own view separately.

The pressure both ways

Ireland's players faced a real dilemma. Pro-Palestinian campaigners, fan groups and some players argued that playing Israel normalizes what they see as an unacceptable conflict. Ireland has long backed that sentiment: Dublin formally recognized a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Spain and Norway, and RTE has again opted out of Eurovision this year.

On the other side, UEFA rules mean skipping a scheduled fixture risks financial penalties for the FAI. That is a real institutional pressure, separate from any moral argument, and it likely shaped the association's posture going into Saturday's vote. Courell did not directly answer whether his position as CEO is now untenable, telling The Irish Times only that the board discussed 'all the logic' behind the summer decision to keep the fixtures.

Israel's Football Association welcomed the outcome. 'Football has won today. The separation between football and politics must be maintained,' the IFA said in a statement read by communications head Shlomi Barzel, according to The Irish Times. Israel captain Dor Peretz was blunter with reporters: 'We know the image of Israel. We live this image every day in Israel, you as foreigners don't understand our reality. If those players want to connect the image, they should read more and visit Israel then can judge and think.'

Israel rejects the characterization that its conduct in Gaza amounts to genocide, a position it has stated repeatedly and separate from any football context.

What happens now

Sunday's match kicks off at 7:45pm CEST at Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, officially Israel's home fixture at a neutral venue. Ireland players will wear black armbands 'for all lives lost in the conflict,' Courell confirmed, and the squad will skip media duties before the game, before their October 1 Austria match in Dublin, and around the return fixture against Israel on October 4. Proceeds from the Austria match will go to charity.

That second Israel fixture, Ireland's designated home game, was already relocated from Dublin's Aviva Stadium to Backa Topola, Serbia, over what the FAI cited as security and disruption concerns. Whether that match draws a repeat of Saturday's turmoil, and whether any more players follow Bazunu's lead before then, remains unresolved with just over a week left before kickoff in Serbia.