Ireland squad to discuss response to Israel match

Ireland’s players were due to meet Friday without management or coaching staff to discuss their approach to Sunday’s scheduled Nations League match against Israel, after midfielder Jason Knight said he did not think the game should go ahead. The squad had not announced a collective decision by Friday, and the match remained scheduled to take place in Debrecen, Hungary. Knight made his comments after Ireland’s 1-0 defeat to Kosovo in Pristina. He said the fixture should not be going ahead but acknowledged that it was, adding that the players would discuss what to do as a group. He said senior players had already spoken among themselves and that the squad planned a more detailed conversation on Friday. Captain Dara O’Shea had said the players would meet without coaches or management to hear each other’s views and decide on a response together. He described the issue as difficult for the squad and said he did not want to speak for the group before it had reached a decision. The meeting was intended to give players space to discuss their views before settling on a collective approach. No outcome from that meeting had been reported.