IRELAND PLAYERS VOTE TO PLAY NATIONS LEAGUE MATCHES AGAINST ISRAEL

Republic of Ireland players have voted to go ahead with their Uefa Nations League fixtures against Israel, the Football Association of Ireland has confirmed. The first match is due in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday. A pre-match press conference and training session were delayed on Saturday amid doubt over whether the game would proceed. The FAI said players held different views but that a majority backed playing. FAI chief executive David Courell confirmed one player had withdrawn from the squad without naming them; the player is believed to be goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.

The fixtures have been contested since Ireland and Israel were drawn together, with the group Irish Sport for Palestine running a "Stop The Game" campaign calling for a boycott over the war in Gaza. Ireland began their Nations League campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Kosovo in Pristina on Thursday. Afterwards, midfielder Jason Knight said: "I don't think the game should be going ahead, but it is going ahead." Courell said players had asked to be released from media duties for the rest of the window. The squad intends to wear black armbands "in recognition of all lives lost" in the Gaza conflict and will skip parts of the pre-match ceremony.

Courell said the players plan further gestures for the return fixture against Israel in Serbia next Sunday. He added that the squad intends to donate match fees from the Israel game and Thursday's Austria fixture at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to charity. Uefa officials said they were unsure of the reason for Saturday's delay. Players had said on Friday they would meet to discuss the situation. Teams that fail to meet Uefa obligations can face warnings or fines.