Ireland players vote to play Israel match after boycott debate

The Republic of Ireland will play Sunday's Uefa Nations League match against Israel in Debrecen, Hungary, after the squad voted by a significant majority to go ahead with the fixture, Football Association of Ireland CEO David Courell said Saturday. The vote followed reports that some players, including custodian Gavin Bazunu, had considered refusing to play in protest at Israel’s actions in Gaza, the Telegraph reported. The team had spent several hours at its hotel, with players having a meeting to decide whether to boycott the match. A pre-match press conference and training session scheduled for earlier were delayed before the players emerged from the meeting and the FAI confirmed the game would go ahead. Courell added: "The vote was passed by a significant majority and manager Heimir Hallgrimsson and FAI Director of Football were also present at the subsequent news conference.