Reserve goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has left the Republic of Ireland squad ahead of the team’s Nations League matches against Israel. The 24-year-old confirmed his departure on social media, stating that he felt it would be “wrong to participate” in the fixtures, a decision he described as being “based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.” RTÉ also announced last week that Ireland will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for a second year over Israel’s participation.
Bazunu emphasized that his withdrawal was not an act directed against the Jewish community or the Israeli people, but rather a stance against the ongoing atrocities in the region. He remarked that such opportunities to stand up for broader principles are rare, and he felt compelled to act on his convictions. His departure follows intense deliberations within the Irish team, which were marked by a multi-hour delay in training and media activities at their team hotel. There are few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them.”.
Football Association of Ireland (FAI) CEO David Courell confirmed that the squad had held an internal vote regarding the fixtures. According to Courell, a “significant majority” of the players opted to continue with the matches, leading the association to proceed as originally intended. While Bazunu was not directly named by team officials, coach Heimir Hallgrimsson confirmed that a squad member had departed. Hallgrimsson noted that the team would continue training and hold further internal discussions, despite the challenging environment surrounding the matches. Ireland is due to play Israel in Debrecen, Hungary in the first of those games Sunday, but the team’s press conference and training session Saturday were delayed by more than five hours as the players again held discussions among themselves in the team hotel over whether they should play. “All the rest of the players are training today,” Hallgrimsson said. “It’s an ongoing discussion and we haven’t come to a kind of conclusion on this, but we are going ahead, the game is going ahead, we’re going to train.
The fixtures, scheduled for Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary, and October 4 in Backa Topola, Serbia, have faced mounting public opposition. FAI officials stated that players have requested to be excused from media obligations unrelated to football. To address the situation, the team plans to wear black armbands to recognize lives lost during the conflict and will opt out of certain pre-match ceremonial elements. Both the FAI and the players have also pledged to make a “significant contribution” to charity using funds derived from the match fees.
Public pressure has been significant, with more than 160 Irish athletes signing an open letter urging the FAI to reconsider the fixtures. In Dublin, the SIPTU trade union erected a large display near the River Liffey urging players to listen to their consciences. Former Ireland coach Brian Kerr criticized the FAI’s stance, arguing that the organization has lost the respect of the public by ignoring widespread opposition and failing to maintain the moral position it previously held when it requested UEFA to ban Israel from competitions.
The FAI has maintained that it must fulfill its commitments to avoid potential sanctions from UEFA, particularly as Ireland prepares to co-host the 2028 European Championship. Amid this tension, national broadcaster RTÉ has announced it will provide only minimal, stripped-back coverage of the games, omitting studio analysis and commentary, and will not accept sponsorships for the broadcasts. Furthermore, Hallgrimsson acknowledged the intense climate, noting that support for Palestine is exceptionally high in Ireland, a sentiment that has created pressure the team feels “growing day by day.”
Comments