Israeli FA blast ‘ignorance and stupidity’ of Republic of Ireland manager as protests grow in Dublin

The Football Association of Israel has strongly criticized Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson following his comments during a squad announcement. Hallgrímsson stated that Ireland was not "playing with genocide" but was "playing against genocide" ahead of their match against Israel in Debrecen, Hungary. The Israeli FA responded on social media, accusing the manager of "stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy," and reportedly plans to raise the remarks with UEFA.

Meanwhile, between 100 and 200 demonstrators gathered outside the Republic of Ireland squad's Castleknock Hotel in Dublin to protest the upcoming fixtures. Protesters carrying Irish and Palestinian flags chanted at players to boycott the matches against Israel, with former Dublin Gaelic footballer David Hickey among those addressing the gathering before the team departed for Kosovo.