UEFA investigate alleged spitting incident during Ireland v Israel game

The allegation concerns an incident involving an Israeli player and an Irish coaching staff member at half-time LONDON: UEFA will investigate an alleged spitting incident from Sunday's Nations League game between Ireland and Israel, in which an Israeli player was accused of spitting at a member of the ‌Irish coaching staff as the teams left the pitch at halftime. "Following a review of the official reports which contained an allegation of an incident in or around the tunnel at half-time, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct the appropriate ⁠disciplinary investigation regarding potential misconducts from player(s) on the occasion of the UEFA Nations League 2027 League Phase match between Republic of Ireland and Israel, played on 4 October 2026 in Backa Topola, Serbia," a UEFA statement said. The game, which ended 1-1, was played in Serbia after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) opted to host the fixture in a neutral venue behind closed doors following protests in Ireland over fulfilling ‌the ⁠matches due to Israel's war in Gaza. Israel and Ireland met in Hungary the previous week, in a game which went ahead after the Irish squad held a votefollowing goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu's withdrawal from the contentious fixtures between the sides. ⁠Ireland won that match 3-0. There were no pre-match handshakes or exchange of pennants between the sides in either fixture, and both teams wore black armbands in ⁠Serbia. Ireland wore them in both games commemorating all the victims of the conflict in Gaza, with Israel sporting black armbands on Sunday ⁠in memory of the victims of the October 7 attack that sparked the war. Ireland is one of Europe's most outspoken critics of Israel's War in Gaza.