Under the thin lights of a near-empty stadium in Debrecen, football gave way to a fresh diplomatic rupture on Sunday night as Israel lost 3-0 to Ireland in the Nations League.
Black armbands and a political accusation
Ireland’s players wore black armbands in solidarity with victims of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. Before kick-off, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded with a strongly worded message on X, accusing Ireland of backing “Palestinian terrorism” and claiming the team stood on the wrong side of history.
- Saar compared the Irish players’ black armbands with what he described as the black flag of jihadism.
- He said that “above the black armbands” worn by Ireland floated “the black flag of jihadism”.
- The minister also wrote that Ireland was on “the wrong side of history”.
- His post referred to the armbands as a gesture connected to the victims of the war in Gaza.
1939 image revived before the match
Saar accompanied his remarks with a photograph from 1939, showing the Ireland team making a Nazi salute before a friendly against Germany in Bremen, which finished 1-1. He contrasted that episode with the stance taken by the current Irish side.
“Then they gave the Nazi salute; this time they stand with Palestinian terrorism,” he wrote.
No handshake as Ireland win 3-0
Despite the political backdrop, the match itself passed without any major disorder. It was played in Hungary, with Debrecen hosting the fixture in front of sparsely populated stands.
- Ireland beat Israel 3-0.
- The game took place in Debrecen, Hungary.
- There were no significant incidents inside the stadium.
- Israeli and Irish players did not shake hands during the pre-match protocol.
- No handshake took place after the final whistle either.
The result belonged to Ireland, but the night’s lasting image was not a goal or a celebration. It was the space between two teams who did not meet hands before or after the match.
