The Irish Football Association announced that its national team players have voted by a significant majority to play the upcoming Nations League match against Israel, but will mark the game with a series of protest gestures.
David Courell, chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland, said the players intend to wear black armbands during the match "for all killed in the conflict in Gaza." He added that the team will not participate in parts of the pre-match ceremony, and that the players plan to donate their match fees from both the Israel game and the following fixture against Austria to charity.
The decision came after a lengthy meeting of the squad, following goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu's announcement that he was withdrawing from the team in protest. Bazunu said the decision had not been an easy one.
"I am a person of strong faith and I try to live by my principles," Bazunu wrote on social media. "I feel it would be wrong for me to participate in the upcoming games against Israel. My decision is based solely on my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong."
