A press conference held ahead of Ireland’s UEFA Nations League match against Israel was cut short on Saturday after tense questions about an incident on a Flydubai flight and allegations of racism.
While Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson was answering questions from journalists in Serbia, an Israeli journalist asked about an incident on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The journalist told Hallgrímsson that the ideology of the people he supported was based on murder.
Kieran Crowley, the Football Association of Ireland’s communications officer, intervened and said that questions of that kind would not be accepted at the conference and that only football matters would be discussed.
Incident on flight under investigation
The question concerned an incident on Flydubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday. The co-pilot attacked the captain and tried to take control of the aircraft while 182 people were on board, and the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after other people on the aircraft intervened.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident on the plane. After the press conference continued briefly, another Israeli journalist alleged that Irish players had used racist expressions toward Israeli footballers in the previous Nations League match.
The journalist claimed that Irish players had called Israeli footballers monkeys during the match. Crowley described the allegation as completely unfounded. When the journalist refused to give up the microphone, Crowley ended the press conference.
Irish federation examines allegations
The Football Association of Ireland is examining claims that Ireland forward Adam Idah was subjected to a racist attack by Israeli fans during Ireland’s 3-0 victory over Israel in Hungary last Sunday. The federation is reviewing match footage and audio recorded by pitch-side microphones in search of evidence of racist chanting.
Videos circulating online allegedly show some Israeli fans making noises resembling monkey sounds when Idah had the ball. UEFA did not open an investigation into the allegations after informing the Football Association of Ireland that the required protocols had not been followed.
In Ireland, there have been calls to boycott Israel over its actions in the Gaza Strip, while the vast majority of Irish players voted to play the match. The teams did not shake hands before the match; the Irish players bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem and wore black armbands to commemorate those who lost their lives in the conflict.
Ireland and Israel will meet again in Bačka Topola, Serbia, on Sunday. The match, for which Ireland will be the home team, will be played behind closed doors.
