Hallgrimsson says Israel ‘tried to intimidate’ Republic of Ireland amid spitting row

Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson claimed Israel attempted to intimidate his team during Sunday's 1-1 Nations League draw in Serbia, which was played behind closed doors. The tense match was marred by a half-time incident where Irish performance head Damien Doyle alleged he was spat on by an Israeli player. Israel manager Ran Ben-Shimon stated he was in the dressing room and did not witness any incident.

The encounter followed escalating tensions from their previous match in Hungary, where the FAI launched an investigation into alleged racial abuse directed at forward Adam Idah by Israeli supporters. Hallgrimsson's pre-match press conference on Saturday had also been ended abruptly after questions concerning counter-allegations against Irish players.