Irish taoiseach Micheál Martin has condemned the Israel Football Association’s remarks about Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson as “unacceptable” and called for them to be withdrawn. The dispute follows Hallgrímsson’s comments describing Ireland’s forthcoming matches against Israel as playing “against genocide”, amid continuing controversy over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The teams are due to meet twice in the Nations League, with both fixtures being played at neutral venues in Hungary and Serbia and no away supporters permitted. Calls for Ireland to boycott the matches have intensified, including a protest and an open letter signed by more than 160 Irish sportspeople; the conflict began after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, while Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports more than 73,000 deaths and Israel denies allegations of genocide and other international crimes.