Nocturnal 
Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has withdrawn from the squad for Sunday’s UEFA Nations League match against Israel, saying it would be “wrong” for him to take part.
The Bolton Wanderers stopper, 24, explained his decision in a statement posted on Instagram and reported by the Irish Independent, the Guardian and the Mirror, among others. He is currently the only member of the Ireland squad to have publicly pulled out of the fixture, which is being played at a neutral venue, the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary.
What Bazunu said
In his statement, Bazunu was clear that the call had not been easy. “Representing my country means everything to me. I have the utmost respect for every single one of my teammates, the manager, his staff, and the Irish people,” he wrote.
He continued: “However, I have reached a decision that I have not taken lightly. I am a man of strong faith, and try my best to be a person of character and principle, therefore I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel. My decision is based purely on my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.”
He added that his stance “is not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region”, and said he felt he had a chance “to stand up for something bigger”.
Squad debate and a player vote
Bazunu’s withdrawal came after days of pressure on the Irish squad to boycott the match given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Ireland’s pre-match press conference and training were delayed by around five hours on Saturday while players discussed the situation.
FAI chief executive David Courell said the squad had actually agreed on Friday, during a meeting in Pristina, to fulfil the fixture. But that changed on Saturday morning when, in Courell’s words, “a player expressed their discomfort with fulfilling this fixture to the head coach and indicated their intent to withdraw from the squad.”
According to Courell, a further four hours of discussion followed among players, coaching staff and executives, before a vote was held. “It was a significant majority that was returned with the intention to continue,” he said, as reported by Talksport and the Guardian. The FAI has not disclosed the exact numbers involved.
The squad agreed to wear black armbands “in recognition of all the lives lost in the conflict”, and will not take part in the pre-match handshake or exchange of pennants, Courell confirmed.
Because UEFA rules require three registered goalkeepers, Ireland have named Queens Park Rangers defender Jimmy Dunne as a stand-in third keeper for the squad list, as reported by Talksport. Dunne is not expected to feature, with Brentford’s Caoimhin Kelleher and West Brom’s Max O’Leary the two recognised goalkeepers available to head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson.
Manager under pressure over comments
Hallgrímsson has faced scrutiny this week after describing his team as “playing against genocide”. Speaking before the game, he said he regretted using the word, telling reporters: “It was a wrong word for me to use,” and clarifying he meant that playing did not mean the team accepted what is happening in Gaza. He said “nobody is comfortable playing these games for many reasons.”
The Mirror reported that a UN-commissioned inquiry has previously found that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel disputes. The war began after Hamas’s attack on the Nova Festival in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed, with more than 73,000 people reported killed in Gaza since Israel’s military response began.
As things stand, the Republic of Ireland’s fixture against Israel is going ahead as scheduled on Sunday in Debrecen, with Bazunu the only confirmed absentee from the squad.
