Heimir Hallgrimsson: UEFA must consider whether Ireland and Israel meet again

Head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson during a Republic of Ireland training session at the TSC Arena in Bačka Topola, Serbia. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Heimir Hallgrimsson declined to offer an opinion on whether the Republic of Ireland should face Israel again in the future but said it was “a good question to UEFA”.

The Republic play Israel behind closed doors in Serbia on Sunday, the reverse fixture of their 3-0 Nations League win in Hungary and the second of two games mired in debate and on-and-off-the-pitch tensions which Hallgrimsson believes have affected player welfare.

The Icelandic manager, when asked if the testing window had led him to consider resigning, insisted: “It’s not on my mind right now.”

Asked if there should be a conversation about Ireland and Israel meeting each other again, Hallgrimsson said: “That’s maybe a question that is not for me to answer.

“But given, now we have the possibility of looking back and seeing all the things that happened, I think UEFA must take that into consideration that they can’t have this happening again just for players’ welfare.

“And, yeah, but it raises awareness of the things that are going on. And, if it changes anything, I think that’s worth it. But I think it’s not for me to answer this one. It’s a good question to UEFA.”

The Press Association has contacted UEFA for comment.

In November, the Football Association of Ireland general assembly voted in favour of a motion “to issue a formal request to the UEFA executive committee for the immediate suspension of the Israel Football Association from UEFA competitions for a breach of UEFA statutes”.

Last Saturday, when it was announced the Debrecen match would go ahead after players voted to fulfil the fixture, FAI chief David Courell revealed players had requested to “effectively remove their media obligations for the rest of the window” due to the fact that they “felt uncomfortable” dealing with “all the questions…that were not about football”.

Hallgrimsson’s pre-match press conference in Serbia was also prematurely curtailed.

After an Israeli journalist asked a question about Wednesday’s attack on a Flydubai flight bound for Israel, the FAI press officer requested the line of questioning remain on football.

He then responded to a different Israeli journalist’s accusation that Irish players had called Israeli players “monkeys” as “completely untrue” and ended the press conference amid shouting.

Both FIFA and UEFA have in very limited circumstances prevented some teams from being drawn against each other as a result of political divisions and conflict. Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, could not be drawn in the same Nations League group as Kosovo.

In March, Hallgrimsson signed a contract extension through to Euro 2028.

The 59-year-old added: “We will definitely reflect. I will reflect on me and how I’ve done as a person, as a coach and as a spokesman for this team.”

But asked if the challenging circumstances had led him to consider resigning, he insisted: “It is not on my mind right now. My focus is just to finish and survive in this camp and come out the best way we can.” In a later press conference, Israel boss Ran Ben-Shimon was asked if Israel would be in favour of reaching an agreement for the sides not to face each other.

Israel FA communications chief Shlomi Barzel said: “The answer is no. We are not going to ask that thing.”