Israel will wear black armbands when it meets Ireland on neutral ground in Serbia on Sunday evening, adding another charged symbol to a Nations League tie already marked by protests, security restrictions and tense scenes away from the pitch.
UEFA approved the Israeli Football Association’s request for the gesture, which will honour those killed in the Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023. The match falls three days before the anniversary of those attacks.
Quick facts
- Israel face Ireland in Serbia because they cannot host the fixture at home amid the security situation.
- Israel’s players will wear black armbands in remembrance of people killed on 7 October 2023.
- Ireland won the first meeting 3-0 in Hungary seven days earlier.
- Irish players also wore black armbands at that game, in protest at the war in Gaza.
- The 7 October attacks killed 1,221 people, based on official Israeli figures.
- More than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the territory’s Health Ministry; the United Nations considers its figures credible.
The Israeli federation said the armbands were to be worn “in memory of those who were murdered” on 7 October. The attacks were the deadliest in Israel’s history.
The return fixture arrives after a first match in Hungary that carried a heavy political and emotional backdrop. Ireland’s 3-0 win was preceded by fears that Irish players could boycott the game because of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, but the match went ahead.
During the anthem, Irish players visibly lowered their heads. There was no traditional exchange of pennants before kick-off and the two captains did not shake hands.
Play was stopped twice after tennis balls carrying stickers in the colours of the Palestinian flag were thrown onto the field. An Irish spectator also entered the pitch.
Ireland has long been associated with support for the Palestinian cause, and the two Nations League meetings have become a focal point for competing gestures from both camps.
Tensions continued on Saturday when Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson’s press conference was cut short following an incident involving Israeli journalists and members of his staff.
Israel’s war in Gaza began after the 7 October attacks. The conflict has since caused a vast death toll in the Palestinian territory, where the Health Ministry reports more than 74,000 deaths.
