Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was verbally abused by a teammate during a four-hour crisis meeting over his decision to boycott the team's match against Israel.
The squad ultimately voted to play the game in Hungary, but protested by refusing to shake hands with the opposition, bowing their heads during the Israeli national anthem and wearing black armbands. Substitutes and staff also looked at the floor during the anthem.
According to the Irish Times, Bazunu's withdrawal on grounds of conscience left him brutally isolated. Teammates expressed genuine anger, with one player abusing him directly to his face.
The Bolton Wanderers player justified his stance by stating his belief that killing innocent people is wrong.
"I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle," Bazunu said. "It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition to the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region."
"There are few times when you get a chance in life to stand for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them," he added.
Divisions in the Ireland squad
The crisis meeting took place at the team hotel in Kosovo, where Ireland had played their previous fixture. The talks ran so long that the delegation had to delay their charter flight to Hungary.
The Irish Times reported that Bazunu's decision prompted some players to consider withdrawing alongside him, before a significant majority voted to play and protest. Some squad members wondered how refusing to take the pitch might affect their international careers.
The Football Association of Ireland had contacted players before the international break to ask whether they were comfortable facing Israel, but they did not reach out to Bazunu, possibly assuming he would not be selected.
A source close to the Dubliner told The Mail on Sunday that his family is proud of him.
"Gavin is a hero," the source said. "What he's done took great courage. His family is proud."
Player discomfort over the fixture
Teammate Jason Knight publicly shared his discomfort on Thursday night, saying he did not think the game should be going ahead.
"It is uncomfortable," Knight said. "There is obviously a lot of talk and rightly so about the scenario we're in, but I thought Dara spoke quite well on Wednesday."
"It's a bigger spotlight obviously around the Israel games and not focused on the football itself," he added. "It's very, very unusual and none of us have come into this scenario before so we're learning on the fly as well. So we'll talk as a group and see what is the best foot forward."
Defender Dara O'Shea had spoken about the situation earlier in the week, admitting the squad was in a tough position.
"As soon as the game was decided by the FAI, the government and Uefa, we were always going to be put in a tough position. We feel exposed, it's come down to us as such at the end," O'Shea said.
"We knew that was going to be the case and this was going to come our way. It's a difficult situation but we understand the severity of it too," he said. "It doesn't really necessarily matter my opinion entirely. It's about the group's decision. We've got to come together as one and navigate that ourselves. This is obviously slightly different."
Victory overshadowed by protests
Ireland won the match 3-0 after first-half goals from Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Jack Moylan. While celebrating his goal, Moylan took off his black armband and kissed it.
During the match, Israel's Sayed Abu Farchi was sent off after mimicking a gunshot following a goal on Thursday.
There were no handshakes at full time, and the Ireland players were booed as they left the field.
Bazunu's withdrawal caused a logistical issue for the squad. Uefa rules dictate that teams must name at least three goalkeepers, meaning Queens Park Rangers centre back Jimmy Dunne was listed as a goalkeeper on the official team sheet.
Public backlash and manager comments
Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson had previously sparked an angry backlash from Israeli officials by stating his team are "playing against genocide" amid Israel's attacks on Palestine, where more than 70,000 people have been killed since the war in Gaza began.
There have been growing calls from the Irish public to scrap the fixture. A petition demanding the cancellation attracted over 17,000 signatures, and protests were held outside the team hotel in Dublin earlier in the week. Many pubs in Ireland refused to show the game.
Irish broadcaster RTE scaled back its coverage of the match, providing only commentary from an international feed with no studio punditry or advertising.
Ireland will play Israel again on Sunday behind closed doors at a neutral venue in Serbia.
