Israel FA slams ‘stupidity’ of Hallgrimsson after genocide remarks

They are not best pleased...

Speaking at a recent press conference ahead of the game - which has been moved to the neutral location of Debrecen in Hungary - the Ireland boss called out the nation of Israel for their ongoing, UN recognised, genocide against the people of Palestine.

He said: “When people know that these games are going to be played, we’ll get the people that are ready to support us in the games. And I’ve said before, we’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. So we’re playing against Israel. We’re not playing with Israel.

“So hopefully we can play good football. That’s my job here. I’m hired here to think about the football things and others on other things. So hopefully that’s going to be… I know it’s going to be a lot of noise, and it’s my job to try to protect the players and try to get them to focus on the things that matter on the pitch. But it’s going to be tough, 100%.

“And in life, I’ve never been in charge of something like this. So again, I’m unexperienced in these matters. And hopefully I’ve probably stepped into some pits that I shouldn’t have stepped, that’s probably something I should have not said.

When comparing Russia - who are currently banned from senior international competitions over their invasion of Ukraine - with Israel, Hallgrimsson added: “I haven’t had any explanation why one is banned, and the other one is not.”

In response to these comments, the Israel FA took to X, and ripped into the Icelander.

They wrote: "We have contributed to the world and humanity in countless fields, earning an impressive number of Nobel Prizes along the way. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by @IrelandFootball team coach. We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, We’re playing against the coach who embodies them."

Ireland's 'home' game against Israel will take place on October 4 in Serbia.

The 'Stop the Game' campaign has grown stronger over the last week on social media, and there was also a large protest outside the Ireland team hotel on Monday.

This follows the tennis ball protest, which took place during Ireland's friendly with Qatar in May.