European football’s governing body has taken the Backa Topola flashpoint out of the hands of the two federations. In a statement issued on Tuesday, UEFA confirmed that an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate “potential misconducts from player(s) on the occasion of the UEFA Nations League 2027 League Phase match between Republic of Ireland and Israel, played on 4 October 2026 in Backa Topola, Serbia.”
The allegation at the centre of the inquiry comes from Ireland’s head of athletic performance, Damien Doyle, who told team officials an Israeli player spat at him as the squads left the pitch at half time of the 1-1 draw at TSC Arena. The claim was logged in the official match reports, which triggered the review.
Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson confirmed the complaint in his post-match media duties without describing it in detail. He said he had not seen the moment himself and declined to go further, deferring to a disciplinary committee to deal with it.
Israel head coach Ran Ben Shimon told reporters he had already reached the dressing room when the incident is said to have occurred and could not account for what happened.
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Hallgrímsson wants the teams kept apart
The Icelandic manager used the same media round to push UEFA to redraw future competitions so that the two nations do not meet again.
“I wouldn’t wish any national team to go through what we’ve gone through in these two weeks, so maybe UEFA just needs to step in and do something,” Hallgrímsson told Sky Sports.
Asked whether the two sides should share a group again, his answer was blunt.
“No, they shouldn’t. That’s not ours to decide – that’s UEFA who decides that.”
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Hallgrímsson also pointed to how the matches had felt from the Ireland bench. “I felt like they were trying to intimidate us from kick-off,” he said.
Protests, armbands and no handshakes
Ireland won the first meeting of the group 3-0 in Debrecen on 27 September 2026, and the rematch in Serbia was played behind closed doors on security grounds. Troy Parrott converted the penalty that got Ireland level in the second game.
The political backdrop had shaped the fixture before kick-off. Ireland’s players refused handshakes with their Israeli counterparts, bowed their heads during Israel’s national anthem, and wore black armbands for victims in Gaza. The squad’s match fees were donated to charity, according to Al Jazeera’s match report.
Hallgrímsson had framed the climate around the Irish camp in the build-up.
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“Obviously, there’s a big support for Palestine in Ireland. There’s not many countries that support Palestine as much as Ireland does.”
The inspector will now decide what charges, if any, follow. UEFA has not set a timetable for the investigation and no sanctions have been announced; both federations will have the chance to make submissions before any ruling by UEFA’s disciplinary bodies.
