Hickey calls for boycott of Israel match over Gaza war

Hickey calls for Ireland to boycott Israel match over Gaza war

Irish comedian and activist Tadhg Hickey called for Ireland’s UEFA Nations League match against Israel to be boycotted over the Gaza war. The Football Association of Ireland said most players wanted the matches to go ahead.

Scraper SystemSeptember 27, 2026, 06:24 PM

Hickey calls for Ireland to boycott Israel match over Gaza war

Irish comedian and activist Tadhg Hickey called for the boycott of the UEFA Nations League match between the Republic of Ireland and Israel. Hickey said the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had failed to take responsibility for the match and had left the decision to the players.

The first match is scheduled to take place on Sunday at Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary. Following talks with the players, the FAI said a majority of the squad wanted the matches to go ahead and announced that the Israel fixtures in the 2026–2027 UEFA Nations League schedule would be played as planned.

Association announces majority decision

The association said there were differing views among the players but that the majority supported playing the matches. The FAI also said it respected the views of all the players and was aware of the sensitivity surrounding the fixtures.

Irish media reported that some players, including a group featuring goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, wanted to withdraw from the match against Israel. Hickey described Bazunu’s departure from the squad as a principled stance and said he hoped other players would make the same decision.

Stop The Game campaign calls for match to be cancelled

The match is also a target of the Stop The Game campaign, run by Ireland Sport for Palestine. The campaign is calling for the match against Israel to be cancelled and for the players to withdraw from the fixture because of the ongoing attacks in Gaza.

Campaign spokesperson Shane Moore said the possibility of the match being cancelled remained open and that they would continue to put pressure on the FAI and the players. Moore criticised the association’s arrangements for supporters, alleging that no tickets had been allocated to Irish fans while Israeli supporters would be able to attend the match.

Moore also said that, after the match in Debrecen, the return fixture that Ireland was scheduled to host officially had been moved from Dublin to Bačka Topola, Serbia. The match, scheduled for 4 October, was said to be set to take place without spectators.

Players and athletes call for boycott

Ireland midfielder Jason Knight became the first international footballer to publicly say that the team should not play against Israel. Knight said he did not believe the match should be played but that it would go ahead; he added that the players would hold more detailed discussions before Sunday’s match.

More than 160 athletes in Ireland signed an open letter calling on the national team not to play against Israel. The Stop The Game campaign also organised protests demanding that Israel be excluded from international football.

Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson had previously said that some players felt uncomfortable because of the matches and stated that the team was “playing against genocide.” Hallgrimsson’s remarks prompted a strong reaction from the Israel Football Association.

Hickey said the match was generating serious pressure in Ireland and internationally and that the players would face intense scrutiny if it went ahead. Moore also called on the players to continue boycotting the fixture and announced that the campaign would continue to prevent the match from being played.

Hickey calls for Ireland to boycott Israel match over Gaza war