Israeli football chiefs weigh sacking coach after 'humiliating' 3-0 loss to Ireland

Israeli football chiefs weigh sacking coach after 'humiliating' 3-0 loss to Ireland

Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Mon, 09/28/2026 - 13:21 Israeli commentators called the first-half collapse in Hungary one of the most shameful nights in the national team's history, after the visiting side had weighed a boycott over the genocide in Gaza Israeli fans with flags after their team's defeat in the Nations League match against Ireland at the Nagyerdei Stadion, Debrecen, Hungary, 27 September 2026 (Reuters/Bernadett Szabo) Off

Israel's 3-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland on Sunday has prompted a wave of recrimination in Israeli football. Commentators called it one of the most shameful nights in the national team's history, and the Israel Football Association (IFA) is weighing whether to dismiss its head coach.

Sources in the IFA told Israeli news site Ynet that they expected Ran Ben-Shimon to resign as the result "wasn't just another sporting defeat, it was a humiliation for every Israeli and Jew".

The match was played in Debrecen, Hungary. Ireland's players had weighed a boycott over the genocide in Gaza and decided only on Saturday, the day before kick-off, to take part. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew, citing "the atrocities in the region".

The teams did not shake hands before the match. Ireland's players bowed their heads during Israel's national anthem and wore black armbands in recognition of "all lives lost in the conflict", Irish broadcaster RTE reported.

Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Jack Moylan all scored in the first half. Israel was the home side, but the match was played in front of largely empty stands.

"In tough times, that's where you find your leaders, that's where characters step up," Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson told RTE after the game. "I think everybody that has watched the game saw proud Irishmen fight for their nation."

Before the match, Hallgrimsson had said: "We're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide. We're playing against Israel, we're not playing with Israel." The IFA accused him of "stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy".

'Ashamed of what I saw'

In the build-up, many in Israeli public discourse had treated the match as more than a sporting fixture.

"I truly apologise to the people who sat at home expecting to see a fighting team," Ben-Shimon told Israeli media after the match. "I'm ashamed of what I saw, but the responsibility is mine and not the players."

Goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, who plays for English club Southampton, apologised on behalf of the squad. "I'm ashamed of how we looked," he told Israeli media. He said Ireland's stance towards Israel came from "ignorance".

Sport 5 reported that Ben-Shimon gathered his players in the dressing room after the match, which the outlet called an unusual move. He told them: "We embarrassed ourselves and the fans in Israel."

'I'm ashamed of what I saw, but the responsibility is mine and not the players'

- Ran Ben-Shimon, Israeli coach

"We have two games to make amends," he reportedly said. The answer, he told them, would be "victories over Kosovo on Thursday and over Ireland next week".

The return fixture in the Nations League is scheduled for next Sunday in Backa Topola, Serbia - whose government maintains close ties with Israel - after the Football Association of Ireland moved the venue to the country out of fear of protests in Ireland.

Ynet reported that Ben-Shimon still had the backing of IFA chairman Shino Zuaretz. But IFA sources told the outlet they would demand his resignation or dismissal once Israel's fixtures in this international window were over.

'A knockout that will echo forever'

Israeli commentators criticised Ben-Shimon's preparation and his decisions during the match.

"Last night wasn't easy for most of us," former Israel international Avi Nimni wrote for sports site One on Monday. He described "sleeplessness, shock, a feeling of dizziness combined with deep disappointment" after an "unthinkable disastrous display".

"We suffered a deadly knockout that will echo forever in all our hearts," Nimni wrote. He said the responsibility lay with Ben-Shimon. Unless the coach made changes quickly, Nimni wrote, all that would be remembered of his tenure "is a disgrace that will never be erased".

Ynet columnist Guy Leiba focused on the professional aspect of the defeat. "All the public preparation for this game revolved around the question of how we would respond to the Irish and teach them a lesson," he wrote. "Except that to prove something on the pitch, you need to know how to play football."

Writing for Sport 5, Nadav Yaacobi called the first half "one of the most shameful and embarrassing halves in the history of the Israeli national team", even setting aside what the match meant nationally.

His co-commentator, former Israel international Omri Afek, framed the defeat in national terms. "An entire country sat and waited to see that our football players and our national team were also capable of rising to the occasion and showing that there are good things in our country," Afek told Sport 5.

Afek said Israelis had wanted the team to show that no one could "touch such exposed nerves" without a response. "This was an opportunity to give our country the evening it needs," he said.

Sport News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0