Hallgrimsson appeals for Ireland fans to get behind team

Men’s Football / 27 September 2026 Hallgrimsson faced selection issues for controversial Israel game 27 September 2026 ROI players voted to go ahead but will wear black armbands ‘in recognition of all lives lost’ in the Gaza conflict

HEIMIER HALLGRIMSSON has pleaded with Republic of Ireland fans to support his side when they face Austria at the Dublin Arena on Thursday night.

The Republic beat Israel 3-0 in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday in a controversial Nations League clash that Hallgrimsson feared would not even happen a day earlier, when a team vote ultimately resulted in the fixture’s fulfilment.

The Football Association of Ireland and Republic players have decided to donate revenue generated by the Austria clash to an as-yet-unnamed charity, but the team’s decision to play Israel — with a behind-closed-doors reverse fixture scheduled for Sunday in Serbia — remains a highly divisive subject.

“Yeah, I have [worries about Thursday], because I think the players have done good in difficult circumstances,” said Hallgrimsson.

“We don’t know what the consequences would have been if we wouldn’t have played the game, whatever that cost would have been for Irish football.

“We don’t have many meetings until there’s a Euro finals played in Ireland, and that might have been at risk. I don’t know. I’m just speculating. League of Ireland teams in Europe, you know, it’s a lot of things that could [happen].

“I’m not saying it would have, but it could have damaged Irish football. Let’s hope that the players have shown and raised awareness of the issue, I think even more than the campaign has done for a long time in Ireland on an international stage.”

One player who did not feature in Hallgrimsson’s squad at the Nagyerdei Stadium was Bolton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who on Saturday, in an Instagram statement, announced he had made himself unavailable for selection for the Israel matches as a matter of “principle,” and said he felt it would be “wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures.”

Hallgrimsson said: “Gavin’s decision and that we almost didn’t play this game raised a lot of awareness on the situation, and that is, I think, the purpose of this protest, to raise awareness.

“I think they have done their job, even though they played the game.”

Republic players wore black armbands on Sunday night, described by FAI chief David Courell as being “in recognition of all the lives lost in the conflict,” referring to the Israel’s genocidal destruction of Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7 2023.

Captain Dara O’Shea declined to shake the hand of his Israel counterpart, Manor Solomon, the team refrained from the customary pennant swap and photo, and Republic players bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem.

The Israel-Hamas conflict remains a topic of extensive conversation, debate and protest in the Republic of Ireland.

According to a study published by the The British Journal of Politics and International Relations in August, a “remarkably high” 76 per cent of Irish respondents said the conflict matters “a fair amount” or “a great deal” to them.

Hallgrimsson added: “There is kind of no winner in the situation we are in by playing. I know we are making some people unhappy by playing. We are making others happy. I think winning probably pleases everyone, but there will still be people angry that we played the game.

“I hope we can settle that slowly down and stay together as a team, and I wish that people in Ireland would continue supporting these boys because they certainly deserve it, to play under these circumstances and under this preparation from us.”

Men’s Football / 25 September 2026 Knight says Republic of Ireland’s game with Israel shouldn’t be going ahead 25 September 2026 Men’s Football / 23 September 2026 Hallgrimsson faces Israel questions as Ireland boycott calls grow 23 September 2026 Amnesty warns allowing Israel to compete risks ‘rubber-stamping apartheid’

Men’s Football / 22 September 2026 Israel FA launches furious attack on Republic of Ireland boss 22 September 2026 Campaigners call for Ireland to boycott Sunday’s opener in Hungary