Israel ‘tried to intimidate’ Ireland amid spitting accusation
Israel were “trying to intimidate” Republic of Ireland right from the start of their ill-tempered and contentious 1-1 Nations League draw claimed Irish head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, with accusations of spitting also being levied.
The match was nominally a home fixture for Ireland was held on neutral territory at the 4,500-seat TSC arena in Backa Topola, Serbia, due to “operational challenges” amid an ugly atmosphere between the two sides due to tensions over the Israel-Gaza war.
As in the reverse fixture, a 3-0 win in Hungary, Irish players bowed their heads during the Israel anthem and captain Caoimhin Kelleher did not shake hands with counterpart Dor Peretz, though both exchanged handshakes with officials.
Both sides wore black armbands, with Ireland acknowledging “all lives lost” in the ongoing Gaza-Israel conflict and the Israeli armbands – which read “7.10” – commemorating the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
The teams clashed at half-time of the match, with security intervening to separate them and referee Juan Martinez Munuera warning both to “be clever”.
The Irish Times reported that Ireland coach Damien Doyle alleged he had been spat at by an Israel player during the half-time fracas. On television pictures, a voice can be heard saying “he spat on me” as the players made their way down the tunnel.
Hallgrimsson refused to be drawn into that specific incident but did claim that his side were victims of intimidation by their opponents from the off.
“I don’t want to get involved in that, but it’s been like this these two games. It’s tense, it’s a lot of emotions,” Hallgrimsson told Off The Ball when asked about the spitting allegation.
“[It] was an accusation of spitting on someone but I didn’t see it. No, we don’t want to talk about this. This will be reviewed, probably like everything else that’s happened between the two teams.
“I felt like they were trying to intimidate us from kick-off but I give a lot of credit to the players to stay calm. It could have been a game of yellow and red cards but we were composed, the players were composed, they did well in controlling emotions.”
Israel head coach Ran Ben-Shimon was also unable to shed any light on the spitting incident.
“[At] half-time I was in the dressing room, my room, with my staff,” he said. “I didn’t see anything. When I get the chance to check I will get back to you.”
Troy Parrott, who has now scored 10 times in his last seven competitive internationals, continued his remarkable form to fire Ireland in front from the penalty spot in the 39th minute before Peretz drew the sides level two minutes into the second half.
That ended a tough fortnight for Ireland but Hallgrimsson, who likened the situation to lying on the ground and being kicked, believes his side will emerge all the better for having gone through adversity.
“I will 100 per cent say this team is stronger,” he added. “The bonding between players has grown so much. It is in these times leaders are born.
“In these times, you find out who are your true friends, who you trust. Even though it has been tough on us all, I think we will look back to these two weeks and say this was a defining moment for us, and every problem from now on will seem lesser than what we would have seen two weeks ago.
“I think that is a gain from all of this, and I think we need to look positive on a negative two weeks.
“We need now some time to reflect and go forward. It’s also the best time to find your enemies when you’re lying on the ground and people are kicking you. It’s easy to see who was trying to kick you.”
