Serbia (QNN)- Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said he felt Israel were "trying to intimidate" his team as one of the staff members accused an Israeli player of spitting at him during Sunday's tense UEFA Nations League.
Ireland and Israel drew 1-1 on Sunday in the second of their two UEFA Nations League meetings.
Ireland had faced calls from some supporters and politicians to boycott the fixtures before beating Israel 3-0 behind closed doors in Hungary in their first meeting a week ago over the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
“I’m absolutely delighted this is finished,” Ireland’s Icelandic coach Heimir Hallgrimsson told reporters.
“It’s taken a toll out of us all. I’ve given so much credit to the players. They have been absolutely amazing in tough times, and I wish no national team to go through what we have gone through for the last two weeks.”
Ireland is one of Europe’s most outspoken critics of Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, and the Football Association of Ireland chose to stage Sunday’s match behind closed doors in Serbia amid the pressure to withdraw from the fixtures.
The absence of supporters, however, did little to ease the tension on the pitch. Irish media reported that one of Ireland’s coaches, Damien Doyle, had accused an Israeli player of spitting at him after the half-time whistle.
Asked about the spitting incident at the post-match news conference, Hallgrimsson declined to provide details.
“I was there. I’m not going to comment. It’s something a disciplinary committee will look at,” he told reporters.
Israel coach Ran Ben-Shimon said he had already left the sideline and did not see what happened.
On television pictures, a voice can be heard saying "he spat on me" as the players made their way down the tunnel at TSC Arena, BBC reported.
As in the first meeting, there were no pre-match handshakes or exchange of pennants, a form of silent protest, while players from each team bowed their heads during the opposing national anthem.
Ireland again wore black armbands commemorating the victims of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
Hallgrimsson underscored the Irish support for Palestine, saying emotions ran high due to the sentiment.
“There’s obviously a big support for Palestine in Ireland. There’s not many countries that support Palestine as much as Ireland does,” he said after Sunday’s match, according to Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE.
