Support for Gaza wins the game as Ireland beats Israel wearing black armbands for genocide victims
The Republic of Ireland has defeated the Israeli team 3-0 in a UEFA match as Irish players wore black armbands in support of Palestinians killed during Israeli genocide against Gaza and observed several gestures of protest before kick-off.
The result, made in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday, marked Ireland’s first of two matches during the tournament against the Israeli side. The second fixture is scheduled for October 4 in Backa Topola, Serbia.
Ireland’s players wore black armbands during the match in support of Palestinians perished during the war of genocide that began in October 2023. A ceasefire came into force last January, but continued killings have prompted observers to warn about persisting genocidal patterns.
At least 16 Palestinians, including 5 children, were killed in Gaza City after an Israeli-damaged building collapsed.
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) September 16, 2026
Press TV’s Minas Al-Jabbour reports from the site of the tragedy.
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Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive David Courell had announced on Saturday that the players would wear the armbands “in recognition of all lives lost.”
The decision followed hours of talks and a vote among the Irish team over whether to proceed with the fixture.
Ireland’s captain, Dara O’Shea, has also pledged to donate all of his earnings from the match to aid Gaza.
Pre-match gestures
Before the game, members of the Irish team lowered their heads as if in a lugubrious gesture while the Israeli “anthem” was being played.
The Irish players also did not participate in the customary pre-match handshakes with the Israeli team. The FAI had informed the Israeli side in advance that its players would not shake hands, and UEFA had accepted the arrangement.
Calls for a boycott
The match went ahead, despite months of pressure on the FAI to boycott the fixture over the genocide.
Since May, leading Irish footballers had joined a campaign by Irish Sport for Palestine, an advocacy group, calling for Ireland to withdraw from the match. More than 160 Irish athletes had signed an open letter urging the FAI to reconsider its decision.
The campaign says that the Israeli regime has breached UEFA and FIFA statutes by allowing teams to play on the occupied Palestinian land and has called for Israeli teams to be stripped of their memberships of both football bodies.
Bazunu withdraws from both matches
After the FAI confirmed that Ireland would participate, Republic of Ireland’s first-choice goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu became the only player to publicly withdraw from the fixture.
✍️ Feature - Irish goalie’s withdrawal from Israel match turns personal choice into a powerful statement of conscience
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) September 27, 2026
By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas https://t.co/tVHGEFJ5Xa
Bazunu had said in a statement posted on social media on Saturday that he felt “it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures” against the Israeli team. He withdrew from the second fixture too.
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