The Football Association of Ireland announced on Saturday that the Republic of Ireland national team will play a UEFA Nations League match against Israel in Debrecen, Hungary. This decision was made after the team voted by majority to proceed with the scheduled match.
The vote took place amid reports that some players, including goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, were considering boycotting the game in protest against Israeli actions in Gaza, as reported by The Telegraph.
The squad spent several hours at their hotel where the players gathered to decide on a possible boycott of the match. A previously scheduled press conference and training session were postponed until the players emerged from the meeting, after which the FAI confirmed the game would take place.
David Currell, CEO of the FAI, added that the vote passed by a significant margin, and manager Heimir Hallgrímsson and the FAI football director were present at the subsequent press conference.