Hallgrimsson spoke to every Ireland player individually on Israel question

Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson says a group discussion was not appropriate for this topic.

Head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson speaks to the media during a Republic of Ireland men squad announcement at FAI Headquarters in Abbotstown, Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has confirmed that he spoke to all of his players individually about the prospect of facing Israel in the two upcoming Nations League games this month.

Debate as to whether the games, both to be played in neutral venues, should go ahead has been intense ever since the draw was made last spring and pressure has been put on both the FAI and the players, the latter via their agents, not to fulfil the fixture.

Hallgrimsson addressed the issue briefly on Thursday morning after he unveiled his 26-man squad for a four-game window that will see his side face Israel twice as well as Kosovo and Austria once apiece.

“I have spoken to all the players individually on that because you shouldn’t be doing this on a group talk. Obviously we have different opinions, different strength of opinions, and I think it is best to say, without going into individual, none of us feel comfortable playing these games.

“But, once we have decided to play them, we all stick together and play as one. And we want to represent Ireland with the best games and performances that we can. That’s the agreement between all of us, but obviously we don’t all share the same opinion, and that is just human nature.”