Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin announced his full support for his country’s national football team coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson, against the backdrop of the severe attack he was subjected to by the Israeli Football Association, following statements he made regarding the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Federation’s attack against Hallgrimsson came as a comment on statements made by the Ireland coach ahead of the two upcoming confrontations between the two countries’ national teams in the European Nations League, in which he described his country’s team’s confrontation with Israel as a “play against genocide,” in reference to the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
In a related context, the Irish Prime Minister, during his participation in the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York, described the Israeli Federation’s attack on the coach as “unacceptable,” demanding its withdrawal, highlighting at the same time the scale of human losses and massive destruction witnessed in Gaza.
For his part, coach Heimir Hallgrimsson expressed his gratitude for the official support he received, noting at the same time that his statements sparked widespread controversy and diverted the team’s attention from the technical preparations for the next match against Kosovo.
This political and sporting crisis comes ahead of the matches between Ireland and Israel scheduled to be held on September 27 and October 4, amid a state of widespread local controversy in Ireland. More than 160 Irish athletes signed a petition calling for a boycott of these two confrontations, coinciding with popular protests against their holding.
