The Republic of Ireland postponed their pre-match news conference and training session before Sunday’s Nations League match against Israel in Hungary. The delay has intensified uncertainty around a fixture facing boycott calls because of the Israel-Gaza war, with reports that at least one Irish player may want to withdraw.

The conference was originally scheduled for 09:15 BST, but UEFA gave no explanation or replacement time. Ireland’s players had discussed the fixture and a possible statement, while former manager Brian Kerr, ex-player James McClean and the Irish Sport for Palestine campaign support a boycott; the two matches are scheduled for Debrecen and Serbia. The article says Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in its 7 October 2023 attack, while Gaza’s health ministry reports more than 73,000 deaths during Israel’s subsequent offensive.