Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has withdrawn from the country’s Nations League match against Israel on Sunday in protest against Israeli military action in Gaza, which international institutions have described as genocide.
It was gathered that the 24-year-old made his intention to boycott the two-legged match against Israel known in the early hours of Saturday, prompting an emergency meeting to be called at the team’s hotel to debate the issue.
During the meeting, a proposal for the entire team to join Bazunu in boycotting the match was put to a vote, with the majority of players ultimately voting to play.
The Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper in released a statement on Instagram said it would be wrong to feature in the two matches against Israel, citing his personal conviction.
“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 upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong,” the former Southampton player said.
Bazunu stressed that his decision was solely in response to the atrocities he said the State of Israel was committing in the region, emphasising that it was not directed against Israeli citizens or the Jewish community.
“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 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,” he added.
The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry, Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem have found that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
Due to the volatile nature of the match with Ireland being a traditional pro-Palestine country, UEFA has decided to hold both the first and second leg matches on neutral grounds with limited fans.
The first leg will take place at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary on Sunday, while the second leg will hold at the TSC Arena in Serbia on Saturday.
