O'Shea: Ireland to park Israel talk until after Kosovo
Republic of Ireland stand-in captain Dara O'Shea says the players will not talk about Israel until after Thursday's game against Kosovo.
Football first. Everything else can wait.
Ireland travel to Pristina to face Kosovo on 24 September, with kick-off at 19:45 BST in the Nations League, UEFA's tournament for national teams that runs between World Cups and European Championships. O'Shea, the Ipswich defender, will wear the armband with Nathan Collins out injured, as reported by BBC Sport.
The message from O'Shea was clear. Beat Kosovo. Then meet as a squad on Friday to work through what comes next.
What comes next is complicated. After Kosovo, Ireland head to Debrecen in Hungary to face Israel on Sunday. It is the first of two meetings in this window.
The return game, listed as Ireland's home fixture, will be played on neutral ground in Backa Topola, Serbia, on 4 October.
The Israel fixtures have already drawn protest. A demonstration was held outside Ireland's team hotel in Dublin on Monday. The Irish Sport for Palestine Group has also sent an open letter, signed by more than 160 Irish sportspeople, urging the FAI, the Football Association of Ireland, to withdraw from the games.
O'Shea said that decision sits above the players. It was taken by the FAI, UEFA and the Government, not the dressing room. He said the squad will come together on Friday to discuss how to approach Sunday as a group, including any form of protest, which he said would be addressed after Kosovo, as reported by the Irish Examiner.
The debate grew last week after comments from Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson. He said: "We're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide. We're playing against Israel, we're not playing with Israel."
Israel's football authorities responded strongly, accusing Hallgrimsson of "ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity". Taoiseach Micheal Martin described that response as "unacceptable" and said it should be withdrawn, as reported by BBC Sport.
Hallgrimsson has since admitted it was "not clever" of him to create headlines in the build-up to Kosovo. He added that he was grateful for the Taoiseach's support.
Hallgrimsson named a 26-man squad for these Nations League games, with midfielder Killian Phillips later called up.
For fans, this means two tasks in one week. Win in Pristina. Then face a game carrying noise around it. O'Shea's plea was simple. Eyes on Kosovo. Everything else from Friday.
