Irish winger Chiedozie Ogbene has called on the public not to pressure players over a campaign to boycott the upcoming Nations League matches against Israel. The Republic of Ireland and Israel are set to meet in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday, with the return fixture scheduled to take place in Bačka Topola, Serbia, on 4 October. Both matches are due to kick off at 19:45 BST, with the teams drawn together in Group B3.
Calls for withdrawal from the matches have grown in Ireland due to the situation in Gaza, with the 'Stop The Game' campaign gaining momentum. Interim captain Dara O'Shea confirmed that the players will meet on Friday to discuss their approach to Sunday's match. Sunday's game against Israel will be a 'home' fixture for Israel, with no Irish fans in attendance, while next week's match will be played behind closed doors.
Ogbene told RTE Sport after Thursday's defeat that he is aware of the feelings surrounding the issue and described it as a complicated and very difficult task. He stated that there are people in positions to make decisions and that footballers cannot be relied upon to make such calls. He added that the group would look at the situation and decide what to do.
The armed Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a massive military offensive in Gaza, in which more than 73,000 people were killed, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. The United Nations considers the figures from Gaza's Ministry of Health to be reliable.
Ogbene rejects the notion that the upcoming matches against Israel were the reason for a disappointing performance in Pristina. He said they had tried to focus on Kosovo and that their entire mindset was on the Kosovo game in order to win it. The Republic of Ireland lost 1-0 to Kosovo in Pristina on Thursday, with Heimir Hallgrímsson's side creating only two chances during the match. Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher made several good saves, Kosovo's attempts were cleared off the line, and the hosts finally broke the deadlock seven minutes from time. Vedat Muriqi scored for Kosovo.
Ogbene admits it 'wasn't good enough' and expressed disappointment at missing a big chance in the first half. He said he thought they might have had enough quality to hold out for a 0-0 draw, but that overall it was poor from him and below the standards they set themselves. He said they need to do more, that he tried to focus on the ball and simply missed the shot. He added that he must be better and that they are disappointed with the result, but above all with the performance, as it is not like them.
