Cancellation of Hallgrimsson's press conference after clash with journalists from Israel

Tensions were palpable at the press conference of Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson on Saturday, ahead of the UEFA Nations League match against Israel, as journalists from the occupying entity engaged in heated discussions with officials from the Irish Football Association.

During the conference, a journalist asked Hallgrimsson about the recent Flydubai plane incident heading to Israel, before the spokesperson for the Republic of Ireland intervened and requested that questions be limited to football, which the coach temporarily complied with.

A journalist from Israel accused Republic of Ireland players of making racist remarks towards their players during the previous match, but the media officer of the Irish Football Association responded that the accusation was "completely untrue", before the debate intensified and the exchange of words and shouting continued inside the hall.

Following that, the Republic of Ireland Football Association unexpectedly ended the conference, and then Halgrímsson moved to another location within the stadium to continue speaking only with Irish journalists.

According to reports, officials tried to keep Israeli journalists away from the next session before another hall was found to hold the meeting away from them. The match between the Republic of Ireland and Israel will take place tomorrow, Sunday, in Serbia, behind closed doors, for security reasons.