Knight says Republic of Ireland’s game with Israel shouldn’t be going ahead

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The Nations League meeting will take place in the Hungarian city of Debrecen amid ongoing calls for Ireland to boycott the fixture.

Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said last week that many of his squad were uncomfortable about taking part in the game, adding: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide.”

But those comments drew a furious response from the Israel Football Association, which accused Hallgrimsson of “hypocrisy and stupidity.”

Following that, Midfielder Knight confirmed the game was going ahead. Speaking after Thursday’s 1-0 defeat to Kosovo in Pristina that began the Republic’s Nations League campaign, Knight said: “Look, it’s difficult.

“I don’t think the game obviously should be going ahead but it is going ahead. We’ll have a deeper talk about it and what that means, we’ll get our thoughts as a group and go from there.

“I’m quite experienced. None of us have gone through this scenario before but I’d like to think I’m experienced, thick-skinned and I can get through most things and that is what I will try and do.

“I’ll try and focus on the football as much as I can. I’ll give my view and my thoughts on it (the Israel games) when I see fit, but I’ll be trying to focus on the football as much as possible.”

This week, campaigners stepped up their bid to convince the team to boycott the game, with a group gathering outside the team’s hotel in Dublin on Monday evening.

Over 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter, published in the Morning Star yesterday, issued by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group urging the Football Association of Ireland to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the fixture. The letter stated: “We ask you to remember the children of Gaza whose dreams are of surviving tomorrow as they dribble a ball around the ruins of their homes. Make us prouder than ever. Make the right choice. Stop The Game.”

“There is obviously a lot of talk and rightly so about the scenario we’re in,” said Knight.

“We’ll try and review this game quickly and we’ll talk about what’s coming up, the Israel games, and we’ll go from there.

“It’s a bigger spotlight obviously and not focused on the football itself. It’s very, very unusual and none of us have come into this scenario before so we’re learning on the fly as well. So we’ll talk as a group and see what’s the best way forward.”

Israel’s game against Austria on Thursday also ended in controversy after Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was ⁠sent off as a result of his goal celebration in ⁠his side’s 3-1 ​Nations League defeat.

The 20-year-old grabbed the corner flag and went down on one knee while celebrating, and it was suggested that he used the corner flag to simulate a gun. However other reports said he was mimicking a snooker cue. He has previously posted on social media: “It’s all a celebration of snooker.”

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