Israel’s soccer federation blasts Irish coach for saying ‘we’re playing against genocide’

Israel’s soccer federation lambasted Ireland’s coach for describing the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches between the national teams as “playing against genocide,” accusing him of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy.”

Ireland are due to play Israel on September 27 in Hungary before the reverse fixture in Serbia on October 4. Both matches are set to be staged at neutral venues and behind closed doors.

Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said last week that he had spoken individually to players about facing Israel and that “none of us feel comfortable playing in these games.”

“We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel,” he said, referring to allegations by rights groups and others that the war against Palestinian terror group Hamas, in which tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, amounts to genocide.

Israel has repeatedly and vehemently rejected allegations of genocide, saying its actions in Gaza adhere to international law as it battles a terror group deeply embedded within the civilian population.

The war began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught against Israel, in which terrorists killed 1,200 and took 251 hostages amid widely documented atrocities and targeting of civilians.

In a statement Monday evening, the Israel Football Association (IFA) said: “We have contributed to the world and humanity in countless fields, earning an impressive number of Nobel Prizes along the way.

“Unfortunately, we have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by Ireland’s national team coach. We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, we’re playing against the coach who embodies them.”

We have contributed to the world and humanity in countless fields, earning an impressive number of Nobel Prizes along the way. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by @IrelandFootball team coach. We’re not playing with…

— ISRAEL FA (@ISRAELFA) September 21, 2026

Meanwhile, the Irish Sport for Palestine Group said on Monday that more than 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter asking the Irish national team to boycott their upcoming fixtures against Israel.

Irish Sport for Palestine said the signatories included Olympian Ciara Mageean, former soccer player Louise Quinn, former rugby flyhalf Tony Ward and boxers Tyrone McKenna and Eric Donovan.

“This is a significant moment and with this moment you have an opportunity to do the right thing,” the letter said.

“Not playing the game would be the most sporting thing you could do. Through your leadership and courage, it would show the power of sport to unite, remind us of the shared values that connect us all, and have an impact far beyond the game.”

In May, leading Irish soccer players joined celebrities in a campaign urging Ireland to boycott the Nations League matches against Israel.

Ireland has been one of the European Union’s most outspoken critics of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, and Football Association of Ireland (FAI) members voted overwhelmingly in late 2025 for its board to request that UEFA immediately suspend the IFA from European competitions.

The FAI later committed to playing the fixtures, citing possible sanctions that could affect the national team and the association.