Republic of Ireland v Israel: FAI says Uefa rejected request to keep teams separate in future draws

Image source, Inpho Image caption, David Courell was appointed FAI chief executive in 2024

Football Association of Ireland chief executive David Courell says it had a request to keep the Republic of Ireland and Israel separate in future competition draws rejected by Uefa.

After being grouped together in February's draw, the Republic of Ireland and Israel are set to meet in Nations League fixtures on 27 September and 4 October.

In June, the FAI confirmed its home game on 4 October would be played behind closed doors in Backa Topola, Serbia, as opposed to Dublin's Aviva Stadium, while no tickets will be made available for Irish fans for Israel's 'home' fixture in Debrecen, Hungary.

At an extraordinary general meeting in July, delegates backed an FAI motion to proceed with the games amid concerns that boycotting would cause "significant and lasting harm" for the association.