Football

Ireland's players discussed the possibility of staging some form of protest before the match, but Early questioned what such a gesture would mean if they were going to take the field regardless.

There were no comparable gestures from the Irish soccer team for the Israelis massacred on October 7.

Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was shown a red card after celebrating his goal against Austria by using the corner flag to mimic a gun, leaving Israel with 10 players in a 3-1 Nations League defeat.

"This news is a reminder that the idea that Jewish people are not sporty is a myth laced with antisemitic tropes about Jewish physical weakness," Campaign Against Antisemitism said.

Ben Shimon said Israel’s objective in the Nations League is clear: challenge for the top two places while recognizing the competition’s importance as a pathway toward the European Championship.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin defended coach Heimir Hallgrimsson after he claimed that Ireland wasn't "playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide."

The coach's comments followed an open letter asking the Ireland national football team to boycott its upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel.

'When an Israeli player succeeds, it opens the door for others,' Tai Baribo told The Jerusalem Post, adding that his personal focus is on reaching the playoffs and his own scoring targets.

The NFL fined Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, a similar amount last season when he wrote “STOP THE GENOCIDE” on his eyeblack during a playoff game in January and an appearance on ESPN. 

Amir Ganah pulled a goal back to cut the lead to 2-1 at halftime. Sokler found the back of the net again off a Varela cross, while Peretz added a marker as well to take the 4-1 win.