UEFA investigate alleged spitting incident during Ireland v Israel game
Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Draw for Round of 16, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals & Final - UEFA Headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland - February 27, 2026 General view of the UEFA logo after the draw REUTERS/Pierre Albouy/File Photo
Oct 6 : UEFA will investigate an alleged spitting incident from Sunday's Nations League game between Ireland and Israel, in which an Israeli player was accused of spitting at a member of the Irish coaching staff as the teams left the pitch at halftime.
• "Following a review of the official reports which contained an allegation of an incident in or around the tunnel at half-time, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct the appropriate disciplinary investigation regarding potential misconducts from player(s) on the occasion of the UEFA Nations League 2027 League Phase match between Republic of Ireland and Israel, played on 4 October 2026 in Backa Topola, Serbia," a UEFA statement said.
• The game, which ended 1-1, was played in Serbia after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) opted to host the fixture in a neutral venue behind closed doors following protests in Ireland over fulfilling the matches due to Israel's war in Gaza.
• Israel and Ireland met in Hungary the previous week, in a game which went ahead after the Irish squad held a vote following goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu's withdrawal from the contentious fixtures between the sides. Ireland won that match 3-0.
• There were no pre-match handshakes or exchange of pennants between the sides in either fixture, and both teams wore black armbands in Serbia. Ireland wore them in both games commemorating all the victims of the conflict in Gaza, with Israel sporting black armbands on Sunday in memory of the victims of the October 7 attack that sparked the war.
• Ireland is one of Europe's most outspoken critics of Israel's War in Gaza.
