After the morning press conference was cancelled last minute, rumours swirled as to whether or not the Ireland squad would line up to face Israel in Hungary on Sunday.
After hours of confusion over whether or not Ireland would face Israel in the UEFA Nations League, the coaching team has revealed the squad has voted to continue with the match as planned.
In a statement shared during the press conference held at 2:30pm, it was revealed that the decision had been made as a team to go to Debrecen in Hungary, and it was only this morning that one player shared their concerns about going ahead.
While it had been suspected that there were up to five players in total who had shared their decision to not play in the game, the coaching team stated it was just one player.
Talks took place among the players, and on occasion with staff as well, over the course of four hours, and when put to a vote, the majority opted to continue with the fixture and play Israel on Sunady.
FAI CEO David Courell said: "The squad were in Pristina yesterday. An extensive conversation took place where ultimately the consensus from the group 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, predominantly amongst the players themselves, but also at times with the coaching staff and at times with the executive.
"There was a lot of positions presented and I think it's 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, 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.
"So based on that, the association took the decision on behalf of Irish football that this fixture would continue as we have always intended to fulfil the fixtures. And in conclusion, I just want to again apologise for the delay and your patience today.
"We understand it is highly inconvenient for you, but hopefully you can understand it was a unique set of circumstances and I appreciate your understanding on that matter."
Main image: The Republic of Ireland National Team logo, Picture by: Alamy Stock Photo
