Hadlgrimsson on matches with Israel: We are playing against genocide

The head coach of the Irish national team Geimir Hadlgrimsson spoke about the upcoming matches of the League of Nations against Israel. The coach of the team said that he perceives these matches not only as a sports confrontation against the background of the situation in Gaza. "We're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide. We're playing against Israel, we're not playing with Israel," the Irish Times quoted the coach as saying. The first meeting between the teams will take place on September 27 in Debrecen, Hungary. The match was moved to a neutral field. The rematch is scheduled for October 4 in Serbia's Backa-Topola, also on a neutral ground. There was considerable public debate in Ireland surrounding these matches. The Football Association of Ireland appealed to UEFA not to draw the national teams of Ireland and Israel in future draws, but the European football union did not grant the request. UEFA explained that such appeals are considered taking into account the security situation. Earlier, the FA of Ireland also called on UEFA to consider Israel's participation in European tournaments. At the same time, the Irish team will continue to prepare for the scheduled matches. Hadlgrimsson's statement has already caused a reaction from the Israel Football Association. There they criticized the words of the Irish coach and announced the possibility of appealing to UEFA.