Former Israel Goalkeeper Dudu Aouate Curses Irish Team Ahead of Match

Former Israeli national team goalkeeper Dudu Aouate posted on social media Sunday, hours before the Nations League match between Israel and Ireland, a picture from a past game between the two nations. In the photo, Aouate is seen in his goalkeeper gear facing an Irish player. He captioned the image in Hebrew, "Always Jewish. Always Zionist. Always Israeli. And always with my head held high," alongside an Israeli flag. He then added in English, "Irish national team, go to hell."

The match is scheduled for Sunday evening (9:45 PM Israel time) in Debrecen, Hungary. The game is taking place amidst public pressure in Ireland for a boycott and the withdrawal of Irish goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu from the squad in protest. The Irish team is planning a "cool protest" during the match, which includes no handshakes, no flag exchanges, and no media interviews. They will also wear black armbands.

Irish national broadcaster RTÉ, which has officially boycotted the 2026 Eurovision competition in Vienna and announced it will also boycott the 2027 contest, will broadcast the game in a limited format, without commentators or a studio broadcast.