Heimir Hallgrímsson: ‘Finn Azaz is one of the people I admire the most in all of this’

Much of the narrative about the build-up to last Sunday’s game against Israel had Gavin Bazunu and Finn Azaz pitted against each other, one the hero, the other the villain, depending on your point of view. Bazunu, of course, chose not to make himself available for the game, saying his decision was “based purely upon my belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong”. Azaz, who has strong Israeli family connections, was reported to be reconsidering his future as an Irish international, such has been his unease with the nature of the conversation around the Israel games. Heimir Hallgrímsson expressed his empathy for both men when he spoke with the media at Abbotstown on Wednesday. While he claimed that “lies” had been reported about the Bazunu situation, he didn’t deny talk of Azaz questioning whether he wants to continue playing for Ireland.Was he aware of those reports? READ MORE“Yeah. I’ve had good conversations with Finn and obviously he’s just in a tricky situation. It’s difficult. He wants to belong to the national team of the Republic of Ireland. He wants to be a part of this squad and he’s shown it in actions. So yes, he wants to belong, but it’s difficult for him. And you can understand that from his background.”The player’s Israeli roots run deep. His late grandfather Nehemia Azaz was a renowned sculptor there while he has said his grandmother was a general in the Israeli army before moving to England. His father Tim grew up in Cork, and Azaz spent a lot of his youth in the county – a connection that convinced him he wanted to play for Ireland rather than for England or Israel. Hallgrímsson paid tribute to Azaz’s “emotional awareness”, a quality the player demonstrated during his time with Plymouth Argyle when he volunteered at the local hospice. The 26-year-old, who was born in London, now plays for Southampton. Finn Azaz during Ireland training at Abbotstown on Wednesday. Azaz has been praised by head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson for his conduct in a challenging situation. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire “I think Finn has shown incredible emotional control,” said Hallgrímsson. “In my mind at the moment, he’s probably one of the people I admire the most in how he has conducted himself in all of this.”“It’s about being a member of a team. So you need to listen to all opinions and yeah, do your thing, do your work with grace and understanding of all opinions. I don’t have words to explain to you how he has so much respect within this group of players, just walking the extra miles to be a part of this team is amazing. So again, he’s been one of the persons I admire the most in the world.”While there were still images showing Azaz not bowing his head during the Israeli anthem in Debrecen last Sunday, as the staff and the rest of his teammates did, his manager couldn’t confirm whether he maintained that stance throughout. “I wasn’t focusing on what the players were doing, I was just doing mine.”Hallgrímsson took a moment to consider his response when asked if it would be best to play Azaz against Austria on Thursday evening, but not against Israel in Serbia on Sunday, to avoid any discomfort.“It’s tough to be a leader at this time. You need to respect all views. We all come from different backgrounds, we all come from different cultures, we even have different religions. And as a leader, we need to respect everyone. And it’s a challenging time for me as a leader. I need to look back and say, ‘did I do everything wrong as a leader of this group?’.“It is one thing to have an opinion and I’m on record saying my opinion on the situation. I probably from the beginning said too much - because it’s one thing to have a personal opinion and it’s another to be a leader of a group. So, yeah, we need to take into consideration everything when we pick a team, when we talk about the squad, when we talk about subjects.“I’ve been drawn into a political venue and I’m not an expert in politics. So this is learning for me. Learning as a coach, learning as a leader and learning as a human being. What we have gone through, we will reflect on it when all of this is finished. That’s why I’m focusing on football now, trying to finish my job. Then I can reflect on how I am as a human being.”