David Courell, the director of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), said in a press conference that “ultimately the consensus from the group was to travel to Hungary”, adding: “That was something we all entered into this window [to do], with intention to fulfilling these fixtures.
“That was the consensus the group finished on.”
The “Stop The Game” campaign, which has been piling pressure onto the Irish team, wrote ahead of the Irish team’s decision: “Ireland playing the two Nations League fixtures against Israel on September 27 and October 4 is contrary to the Palestinian sporting boycott call: taking the field treats Israel as a normal international sporting participant and provides precisely the sporting recognition and normalisation that the boycott seeks to withdraw.
“Respecting the boycott means refusing to play these games. Do not break BDS guidelines!”
Courell said the team would “wear black armbands in recognition of all lives lost in the [Gaza] conflict.
“There will be elements of the pre-match ceremony not be partaken in by Ireland and it is also the intention of the players to make a significant contribution to charitable donation by virtue of both [Israel] match fees and also the fixture against Austria at the Aviva [Stadium in Dublin on Thursday]."
Not everybody on the team was willing to go ahead with the game, however.
After the initial group decision was made to play, goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu announced that he would not join his team-mates because he was a “man of strong faith” and believed playing the Jewish state “would be wrong”.
Gavin Bazunu played for Southampton before moving to Bolton Wanderers in 2026 (Image: Getty Images)Getty Images
He wrote on social media: "I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle, therefore I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel.
"My decision is based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.
"It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region.
"There are few times when you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them."
Bazunu’s last-minute decision to boycott Israel and the resulting need to use a substitute forced the team to have another vote – one which, according to the BBC, took four hours.
Courell confirmed: “It was a significant majority that was returned with the intention to continue.”
