Israel captain disparages Republic of Ireland post-defeat
Israel captain Manor Solomon launched a blistering attack on the Republic of Ireland following his side’s comprehensive 3-0 Nations League defeat in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday evening, reports BritPanorama.
The West Ham winger, who had attempted a measured approach during the tense build-up to the fixture, abandoned all diplomacy after the final whistle. “If I say what I think about them I’ll probably be banned for a few games,” Solomon said. “Of course they hate us and we don’t like them.”
Solomon went on to express pride in his homeland, claiming, “We have a country that is 10 times better than theirs, stronger, an amazing country with amazing people, proud to wear the national team’s uniform and be Israelis,” adding, “Proud of our country and our soldiers, we can do any number of things.”
Ireland had raced into a commanding lead inside the opening 25 minutes at the Nagyerdei Stadion with goals from Troy Parrott, Adam Idah, and Jack Moylan, which settled the contest early.
Teammate Daniel Peretz was equally incensed by the Irish squad’s conduct, particularly their decision to bow their heads during Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah, before kick-off. He described the behaviour as stemming from “wilful closed-mindedness.” “It all stems from ignorance,” Peretz said, noting it made it easier for him to deal with the situation.
Peretz distinguished between those willing to engage with the complexities of the matter and those who were not. “There are those who came and asked, who understand the situation. But there are those who don’t want to, aren’t interested, and find it very easy to express an opinion,” he stated.
The Irish players also declined to shake hands with their Israeli counterparts prior to and after the match. Peretz dismissed those responsible as “ignorant people,” while captain Dara O’Shea pointedly refused to shake Solomon’s hand. Goalscorer Moylan further stirred tensions by tearing off his black armband — intended to commemorate both Israeli and Palestinian victims of the conflict in Gaza — and kissing it in front of Israel’s travelling supporters.
The situation prior to the match had its own complexities. The Irish squad voted on whether to fulfil the fixture, and a majority endorsed playing, but between six and eight players reportedly opposed participation. Among those who supported playing was Finn Azaz, Peretz’s clubmate at Southampton, whose mother has Israeli citizenship.
Solomon expressed that the stinging defeat had only intensified his desire for the return fixture, scheduled for next Sunday behind closed doors in the small Serbian town of Backa Topola. “The next game against them, it’s going to be completely different,” he stated. “We will get revenge for this.”
Israel head coach Ran Ben Shimon took a markedly different tone, shouldering responsibility for the result. “Huge disappointment, the blame is on me,” he said. “I thought we had prepared properly. We hadn’t.” He admitted his players had crumbled under the pressure, declaring, “We didn’t handle the pressure well, this is very obvious. We didn’t understand what is on our shoulders; we failed mentally, tactically.”
He urged his squad to regroup quickly, with fixtures against Ireland and Kosovo still to come. “We have to find the energy to wake up, to rise again,” he added.
The fallout from the match extended beyond the pitch. FAI president Paul Cooke critiqued the Irish press for presenting what he deemed an excessively one-sided account of the political sensitivities surrounding the fixture, arguing it imposed undue “pressure” on the players. Former Irish justice minister Alan Shatter, who attended the match for the Jerusalem Post, accused elements in Ireland of promoting an “ideological, hate-fuelled, anti-Semitic agenda,” condemning the treatment of Israel’s players as “shameful.”
As the teams prepare for their rematch next week, questions linger over whether the fixture will go ahead amid existing divisions within the Irish squad.
Sport often becomes a theatre for broader tensions, and this match was no exception; reflecting how the pitch can hold deeper narratives that spill beyond the confines of the game.
