Republic of Ireland midfielder Jason Knight has called for the team’s World Cup qualifier against Israel to be stopped, saying he does not believe the match should go ahead.
Ireland are scheduled to face Israel in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday at 19:45 BST, with the return fixture set for October 4 in Backa Topola, Serbia.
The fixtures have attracted growing opposition in Ireland amid the ongoing war in Gaza, with the “Stop The Game” campaign calling for Ireland to withdraw from the matches.
As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, speaking after Ireland’s 1-0 defeat by Kosovo in Pristina on Thursday, Knight became the first Republic of Ireland player to publicly express opposition to the fixture.
“Look, it’s difficult. The manager, and Dara, and Nathan [Collins] spoke well about it. I don’t think the game should be going ahead, but it is going ahead,” Knight said.
Ireland captain Dara O’Shea had earlier confirmed that the players would meet on Friday to discuss their approach to Sunday’s match, which will be played without Irish fans in attendance.
Knight said the players would hold a detailed discussion about the situation and consider the implications of any position they take.
“We had chats about it with the players, and more senior players on what the next step will be,” he said.
“Now we’re here, we can have a really in-depth talk of what that means and what the consequences are. We’ll do that [on Friday] and go from there.”
The Bristol City midfielder said he had already considered the issue before joining the national team, given the public debate surrounding the fixtures in Ireland.
“I think it was a difficult one. It’s obviously big talk in Ireland. I have been focusing on my football in England in the Championship. But I knew this was coming so I had a think about it,” Knight said.
He added that he would continue to concentrate on his football while expressing his views when necessary.
“I’ll try and focus on the football as much as I can. I’ll give my view and my thoughts when I see fit, but I’ll be trying to focus on the football as much as possible,” he said.
The controversy surrounding the fixtures comes amid the continuing conflict in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel subsequently launched a military campaign in Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported more than 73,000 deaths, with the United Nations saying figures from the ministry have generally been considered reliable.
The Ireland-Israel fixture is scheduled to be played in Hungary, while the return match in Serbia is due to take place behind closed doors.
