Republic of Ireland v Israel: Players will not be stopped from taking a stand for Israel, says Nathan Collins

Republic of Ireland captain Nathan Collins says no member of the squad will be held back if he wants to “take a stand” against the team’s Nations League match with Israel later this year.

Earlier this year, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) Confirmed that it will meet the fixtureSaid there was a real possibility that refusal to play would result in disciplinary action, including possible disqualification from the competition.

There were protests outside the Dáil (Irish Parliament) against the FAI’s decision to stage the Games on Tuesday, 27 September and 4 October.

“It’s hard to say what we’re going to talk about, because you have to get the whole group together. But if individuals want to take a stand, we’re not going to stand against them, we’re not going to hold them back,” Collins said ahead of the Republic of Ireland’s friendly with Qatar in Dublin on Thursday.

“They’re entitled to their own opinions. If they’re too strong on this, we won’t be able to stop them.”

The Brentford defender added: “We just have to trust the FAI for the players.

“We have to trust the government that they know what they’re doing. We’re elected to play football. You know, we’re elected to represent our country.

“It’s a difficult situation for us and we have to trust the people around us, they know what they’re doing.”

Pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine A boycott has also been calledIt described it as a “clear and ongoing serious breach of UEFA and FIFA law regarding the playing of Israeli teams in occupied Palestinian land” and “a brutal system of apartheid and genocide, both adopted by the Irish government”.

Israel has routinely denied committing genocide or war crimes and says its actions in Gaza were justified as self-defense.

The conflict in Gaza followed a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

Israel responded to the attack by launching a military operation in Gaza, during which more than 72,500 people were killed, according to the territory’s health ministry.