The Republic of Ireland national team has officially confirmed that Sunday’s UEFA Nations League B3 fixture against Israel, scheduled to be played in Debrecen, Hungary, will go ahead.
Significant doubt emerged on Saturday morning regarding whether the match would proceed. The team had planned a pre-match press conference at 09:15 BST featuring manager Heimir Hallgrimsson and a player, but this was cancelled just 15 minutes prior to the start time. Reporters were told the event would be rescheduled for after the team’s training session.
That training session, originally set for 10:00 BST, also concluded without the squad appearing publicly. Media personnel had relocated to the hotel where the team was staying, anticipating an official statement, but the players remained indoors. Unconfirmed reports suggested that several squad members, including goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, had expressed a desire to withdraw from the tournament.
However, the situation resolved around 13:00 BST when players began leaving the meeting room. It was subsequently announced that the press conference would proceed at 14:30 BST at the Nagyerdei Stadion, followed by training.
More than five hours after the initially scheduled briefing, Football Association of Ireland (FAI) CEO David Courell, accompanied by Hallgrimsson and the FAI Director of Football, confirmed that the squad had voted by a significant majority to play the game.
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