Football NewsBBC SportUnverified source· 25 Sept 2026
Knight: Ireland should not play Israel
Jason Knight becomes the first Republic of Ireland player to publicly oppose Sunday's game against Israel.
J. Knight
player
Player
Jason Knight
Team
Republic of Ireland
Fixture
v Israel, Sunday
Venue
Debrecen, Hungary
What happened. Jason Knight became the first Republic of Ireland player to publicly voice opposition to playing Israel on Sunday. The sides meet in Debrecen, Hungary, with the return fixture in Backa Topola, Serbia on 4 October.
- Calls to withdraw have grown in Ireland amid the war in Gaza, with a 'Stop The Game' campaign gathering pace.
- Dara O'Shea said the players would meet on Friday to discuss their approach to Sunday's game.
- No Irish fans will attend Sunday's 'home' game, and the following week's match is behind closed doors.
“I don't think the game should be going ahead but it is going ahead”
— Jason Knight
The Republic squad is set to meet on Friday to agree a collective stance before Sunday's fixture.
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