--- title: "Monkey chants at Adam Idah, and no case for UEFA to answer" description: "Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in Hungary; the FAI says UEFA declined to act because protocol was not followed" author: "Arthur Wren" published: 2026-09-28T11:43:27Z modified: 2026-09-28T14:20:13Z url: https://rews.cc/a/monkey-chants-at-adam-idah-and-no-case-for-uefa-to-answer-d16420 language: en tags: ["soccer", "racism", "israel", "ireland", "gaza", "europe", "world"] publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)" --- # Monkey chants at Adam Idah, and no case for UEFA to answer *Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in Hungary; the FAI says UEFA declined to act because protocol was not followed* By Arthur Wren · September 28, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/monkey-chants-at-adam-idah-and-no-case-for-uefa-to-answer-d16420 ## In brief - Videos appear to show monkey chants from Israel supporters aimed at Ireland’s Adam Idah during Sunday’s 3-0 Nations League match - UEFA said it cannot investigate because correct protocols were not followed, the FAI told The Irish Times - Ireland’s Jayson Molumby alerted the referee and fourth official to the chants before half-time - The FAI will review video and audio evidence and may demand a UEFA investigation - Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu refused to play, citing the killing of innocents in the Gaza war Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in Debrecen on Sunday, in a Nations League match played at a neutral Hungarian ground because of the war. Israel was nominally the home team. Adam Idah, Ireland’s Black striker, scored one of the goals. As he walked past the small section of Israeli supporters, videos shared online appear to show, monkey noises came from the crowd. One eight-second clip has been viewed 1.3 million times. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli fans were also filmed raising military slogans. The governing body’s answer, as reported by The Irish Times citing the Football Association of Ireland, is a lawyer’s answer. UEFA said it cannot investigate because correct protocols were not followed during the match. A racist chant, it seems, must be complained about in the proper form or it does not count. The complaint was not absent. The Irish Times reported that Ireland midfielder Jayson Molumby heard the chants before half-time and asked referee Harm Osmers and fourth official Florian Exner to “listen.” The UEFA delegate inside the stadium, the FAI said, declined to act. The FAI now plans to do the work itself. “We’re going to review the video evidence from the game and try and determine if there is any evidence of racism,” a spokesperson said on Monday. “If we believe that to be the case, we will send \[the evidence\] to UEFA demanding an investigation into the incident.” Ireland’s analysts will draw on pitchside microphones and stadium footage. The association said Idah is not sure whether he heard the chants and is unaffected. The match carried the war into the stadium long before kickoff. Ireland formally recognized the state of Palestine in 2024 and has been among the loudest critics of Israel’s campaign in Gaza; Israel accuses the Irish government of “extreme anti-Israel policies.” As rews reported in the days before the game, players faced [calls to refuse to play at all](https://rews.cc/a/the-televisions-stay-off-as-ireland-s-footballers-face-israe-ce3695): protests outside the team’s Dublin hotel, and an open letter from the Irish Sport for Palestine Group signed by more than 160 athletes urging the squad to “act collectively with conscience.” One player did refuse. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew, saying he “feels it would be wrong to participate.” “Representing my country means everything to me,” he wrote on Instagram, and said the decision was not taken lightly. “My decision is based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong,” he said, adding that his stance was “not in opposition to the Israeli people or the Jewish community, but against the atrocities in the region.” Those who did play marked the occasion. Ireland’s team wore black armbands, bowed their heads during Israel’s anthem and declined to shake hands with their opponents — gestures they had notified UEFA of in advance. The rancor runs both ways, and it is not confined to the stands. Ireland’s coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson, had said on September 17: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel.” The Israel Football Association answered in kind: “We have contributed to the world and humanity in countless fields, earning an impressive number of Nobel Prizes along the way. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by \[Ireland’s\] team coach.” The Israel FA told Newsweek it is weighing its own complaint over Hallgrimsson’s remarks and will decide after the two fixtures between the sides. Those fixtures are not finished. The teams meet again on October 4 in Bačka Topola, Serbia, with Ireland the designated home side. The FAI has said it will not facilitate tickets for Irish supporters at either game, citing “operational challenges and safety and security concerns”; a small allocation of Israeli fans was permitted in Debrecen. So the score stands at 3-0, one federation weighs a complaint about a coach’s words, and the video of the chants waits on a desk in Dublin for the FAI’s review. The return match is in six days. ## Sources - [Israeli fans direct monkey chants and military slogans at Ireland's players](https://aljazeera.com/sports/2026/9/28/israeli-fans-monkey-chants-ireland-adam-idah-uefa-nations-league) — aljazeera.com - [Israel Fans Accused of Racially Abusing Player During Ireland Game](https://newsweek.com/israel-fans-accused-of-racially-abusing-player-during-ireland-game-12495132) — newsweek.com