Bolton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has confirmed he has refused to participate in the Republic of Ireland’s controversial Nations League fixtures with Israel as a matter of “principle”.
The sides are still set to face one another at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary on Sunday in front of a limited number of Israel fans for the Israelis’ “home” clash after Republic players voted to honour the fixture following a four-hour summit at the team hotel on Saturday.
That emergency meeting was called after the Football Association of Ireland confirmed one player – now understood to be Bazunu – told head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson of his intent to withdraw from the squad on Saturday morning after expressing discomfort about fulfilling the fixture.
Writing on Instagram, Bazunu said in his statement: “Representing my country means everything to me. I have the utmost respect for every single one of my team-mates, the manager, his staff, and the Irish people.
“However, I have reached a decision that I have not taken lightly. I am a man of strong faith, and try my best to be a person of character and principle, therefore I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel.
“My decision is based purely on my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.
“It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community, but against the atrocities in the region.
“There are a few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger, and I strongly believe that this is one of them.”
The Republic next travel to Dublin to play Austria on Thursday, then face Israel again on Sunday behind closed doors in Backa Topola, Serbia, in their “home” tie.
Football Association of Ireland chief David Courell, in a press conference postponed by over five hours, said: “The squad were in Pristina yesterday, and an extensive conversation took place where ultimately the consensus was to travel to Hungary.
“That was something that we all entered into this window with our intention to fulfil these fixtures, and that was the consensus that the group finished on at the end of that two-hour meeting yesterday.
“This morning, a player expressed their discomfort with fulfilling this fixture to the head coach, and indicated their intent to withdraw from the squad. As you can understand, this new variable required time and deliberation for the rest of the squad to consider.
“What proceeded was another four hours of conversations, predominately amongst the players themselves, but also at times with the coaching staff and at times with the executive.
“There were a lot of positions presented, and I think it is important to say that from an association perspective and for everyone involved in those conversations, we were fully respectful for everyone’s right to their respective opinion on these topics.
“Ultimately, within maybe the last 90 minutes, we carried out a vote amongst the squad to establish their sentiment on fulfilling the fixtures, and it was a significant majority that was returned with the intention to continue.”
Courell also revealed the Republic intend to wear black armbands on Sunday, “in recognition of all the lives lost in the conflict”, and refrain from parts of the pre-match ceremony, including handshakes and the pennant exchange.
He also said players have requested to “effectively remove their media obligations” for the rest of the international window.
Asked to verify if only one player will not be part of his squad on Sunday, Hallgrimsson said: “All the rest of the players are training today. Obviously the balance changed with this, so it’s an ongoing discussion.
“We haven’t come to a kind of conclusion on this, but we are going ahead, the game is going ahead. We’re going to train, and there will be more discussions tonight and probably tomorrow.”
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