October 4, 2026
Ireland national team midfielder, Finn Azaz, finds himself in the eye of a storm of unprecedented political and family pressure, following his country’s two matches against Israel in the European Nations League. The player, born in England, descends from mixed roots, to an Irish father and an Israeli mother, as his maternal grandfather, Nehemiah Azaz, belongs to the world of Israeli sculpture, while his grandmother Jaffa served with the rank of general in the Israeli army.
According to a report published by “The Athletic” network, the Irish team played four matches in 11 days, two of which coincided with widespread calls to boycott Israel in protest against the war in Gaza. Before the first match, the Irish players held two votes inside their hotel residence in the Hungarian city of Debrecen to decide their position on participating, and Azaz was among those in favor of playing the match, a decision that was supported by the majority of the team.
Despite this, coach Heimir Hallgrimsson kept the player on the bench during the confrontation that ended with Ireland’s victory (3-0), amid media reports that Azaz was thinking about retiring from international football due to the amount of pressure surrounding the case. The player, who represents Southampton, previously pointed out that his upbringing in a diverse cultural environment, and his parents’ sacrifices and continuous support, were the main pillar of his professional career.
Azaz returned to the starting lineup in the next match against Austria, where he played the entire match and received a crowd’s welcome when his name was announced. That match, which ended in a draw (2-2), witnessed protests that included throwing tennis balls bearing pro-Palestine messages into the stadium, in addition to one of the protesters storming the field carrying the Palestinian flag.
For his part, coach Hallgrimsson praised the player’s handling of the crisis, stressing that he showed “an exceptional amount of control and emotional awareness,” which earned him great respect within the Irish national team’s dressing room.
The pressure surrounding the team will be renewed on Sunday, with the renewal of the meeting between Ireland and Israel for the second time in a week, in a match that will be held behind closed doors in the Serbian city of Bačka Topola. It is noteworthy that the Irish players lowered their heads during the playing of the Israeli national anthem in the first match, at a time when coach Hallgrimsson stressed that the upcoming match “will not be friendly.”
