Ireland and Israel drew 1-1 in a second ill-tempered Nations League match, which was surrounded by controversy.
This came as Ireland were under huge pressure to boycott the Nations League fixtures against Israel, but the FAI voted not to call for Israel to be suspended from UEFA competitions.
Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the first game between the two sides whilst Israel captain Manor Solomon then escalated the verbal dispute, saying Israel was “10 times better” than Ireland and that “they hate us and we don’t like them.”
Irish players then refused the traditional handshake and bowed their heads during Israel's anthem in a game that neither side looked like they wanted to play.
The two sides clashed at half-time in the second game, with security intervening to separate them and referee Juan Martinez Munuera warning both to “be clever” as tensions rose.
Damien Doyle, Ireland’s head of athletic performance, revealed that he was spat at during the altercation, which has now prompted an investigation from UEFA.
"Following a review of the official reports which contained an allegation of an incident in or around the tunnel at half-time, an UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct the appropriate disciplinary investigation regarding 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.
"Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course."