Irish soccer team refuses handshakes and bows heads during Israeli anthem; wins the match 3-0

The entire Irish national football team bowed their heads when the Israeli anthem was played before their UEFA Nations League match on Monday, and players refused to shake hands or exchange pennants, before Ireland beat Israel 3-0 at the near-empty Debrecen stadium in Hungary.

The Israeli delegation explained earlier in the day that the Irish team had informed UEFA authorities that its members would not shake hands with their Israeli opponents, and that UEFA had accepted this information.

Ireland captain Dara O’Shea approached the center of the field for the pre-match interview, his hands clasped firmly behind his back. O’Shea shook hands with the referee and his assistants, but no attempt was made to shake the hand of Israel captain Manor Solomon.

The Irish players wore black armbands, as promised, as a sign of respect for “all the lives lost” in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

The match, of which Israel was the nominal host, had been in doubt earlier in the week until Irish players voted overwhelmingly in favor of the match, despite pressure from their country to boycott the match.

Only one player, backup goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, withdrew, saying “it would be a mistake to participate” in this match or the second leg in Serbia on October 4, “based on my personal belief that killing innocent people is wrong.”

The Irish FA did not reserve any tickets for fans to attend the match, and public broadcaster RTÉ presented no studio panels or analysis, and sold no advertising around its coverage.

Irish players bow their heads as the Israeli national anthem is played in Debrecen before the match. pic.twitter.com/fWPI3KZsvE

— Ben Symes (@bensymes01) September 27, 2026

The match took place in a subdued atmosphere reminiscent of the latter stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when attendance restrictions left stadiums largely empty.

There were a few hundred Israeli fans and a handful of Irish fans on the pitch, and the screams of coaches and players could be clearly heard everywhere.

The small group of Israeli fans in the stadium were seen waving flags and wearing scarves in the colors of the national team and their favorite local teams. A fan could be seen holding the Druze flag.

Irish striker Troy Parrott scored the first goal in the 14th minute, with Adam Idah scoring two minutes later and Jack Moylan adding a well-taken third in the 25th minute.

Ireland needed goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in top form to hold off Israel after the break, and tempers frayed around the hour mark after a clash between Idah and Raz Shlomo. Both players were cautioned by German referee Harm Osmers.

At the final whistle, the Irish players maintained their refusal to interact in a civil manner with the Israelis, with no handshake at the end of the match.

After the match, Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz apologized “on behalf of all the players” for the team’s “embarrassing” performance, promising they would do better in their next two UEFA Nations League matches, against Kosovo on Thursday and Ireland next Sunday.

“It’s not that we didn’t want to play better or that we didn’t prepare,” he told Channel 5 Sports. “We wanted to win too much. We came into this match with a lot of emotion and it hurt us. We lost a bit of our concentration.”

When asked how it felt to see Irish players bow their heads during the national anthem and avoid handshakes, while the Irish coach had his back to the field, Peretz replied that “it all comes from ignorance.” He said some Irish players wanted to understand the situation Israel finds itself in, but overall “they expressed a point of view without understanding the situation. It’s up to them; they are adults.”

Captain Manor Solomon said he “can’t wait” for the second leg, so Israel can show how well they can play.

Solomon said some Irish players said nasty things to their Israeli opponents during the match. “I don’t want to talk about (the Irish players). If I say what I think about them, I’ll probably be suspended for a few games… Obviously they hate us. We don’t like them.”

“I’m waiting for the next match against them. It will be a completely different match.”

As for Irish players bowing their heads during the Israeli anthem, he said: “I don’t care about them. We have a country ten times better than them, stronger, an incredible country with extraordinary people. We are proud to wear the team jersey and to be Israeli. We are proud of our state and our soldiers. (The Irish) can play all their tricks. We are Israeli and love the country. And that will always be the case.”

The team’s coach, Ran Ben Shimon, apologized for the team’s “disgraceful” performance in the first 30 minutes. “A huge disappointment,” he said.

“The fault lies with me,” he stressed, rather than with the players. “I thought we prepared well. We didn’t.”

Saar refers to Nazi Germany

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Ireland before the match of being “on the wrong side of history” because of the players’ actions.

In a lengthy article on X, Sa’ar referenced the 1939 Irish team giving the Nazi salute before a match against Germany in Bremen.

He also spoke of Irish neutrality during the Second World War and the condolences offered by the then Prime Minister Éamon de Valera to the German representative in Dublin following the death of Adolf Hitler.

“Nearly 90 years have passed. Ireland’s unique talent for being on the wrong side of history remains intact,” he added.

In May 1939, the Irish national football team traveled to Bremen for a match against the German national team.

In order to “honor the hosts”, the Irish players stood before kick-off and gave the Nazi salute while the German anthem “Deutschland über alles” was played.

During… https://t.co/DvNoggEJim

— Gédéon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) September 27, 2026

“Sport, football, basketball, everything is for the public, the people, and not for politics,” Mol Michael, a 31-year-old software development professor, draped in an Israeli scarf, told AFP. “Once you decide, for political reasons, to cancel the Irish public, that in my opinion is a really stupid decision on the part of Ireland.”

Ireland has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, with sympathy often linked to the country’s history under British rule.

Dublin officially recognized a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Spain and Norway, and has repeatedly criticized Israel over the conflict in Gaza which erupted with Hamas’ devastating invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israel in response closed its embassy in Dublin and accused the Irish government of extreme anti-Israeli bias and anti-Semitism.