Irish PM defends football manager after Israeli federation criticism

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has defended Republic of Ireland football manager Heimir Hallgrímsson following sharp criticism from the Football Association of Israel. The dispute arose after Hallgrímsson stated that the team is playing “against genocide” rather than “with Israel,” referring to the conflict in Gaza.

The Football Association of Israel characterized the manager's remarks as “stupidity, ignorance, and hypocrisy.” In response, Martin, speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, described the Israeli federation's comments as “unacceptable” and called for them to be withdrawn.

The controversy comes ahead of upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures between Ireland and Israel. Due to security concerns and operational challenges, the Football Association of Ireland has moved the matches to neutral venues in Hungary and Serbia, with no tickets allocated to Irish fans for the Israel matches. Meanwhile, approximately 160 Irish athletes have signed an open letter calling for a boycott of the games.