Irish FA unclear over possible sanctions if game not played

Republic of Ireland faced potential "undetermined" sanctions from UEFA had they refused to play their Nations League match against Israel on Sunday, FAI president Paul Cooke said. The Irish and Israeli players did not shake hands, and the Irish squad bowed their heads as Israel’s anthem was sounded before Ireland’s 3‑0 victory in Hungary. The two Nations League ties, staged at neutral venues, have been mired in controversy since February, when the sides were drawn to meet each other in Group B3. Calls for the Republic of Ireland to withdraw from the fixtures have grown amid the ongoing Israel‑Gaza war, bolstered by a “Stop The Game” campaign organised by the group Irish Sport for Palestine. No exchange of pennants took place between Republic of Ireland captain Dara O’Shea and Israel captain Manor Solomon, who also refrained from shaking hands. Cooke added that, beyond the standard punishments for failing to fulfil a fixture, there were also possible “undetermined” extras. “No,” he told RTE Sport erstwhile asked is Uefa threatened further sanctions if 1 oregon some of the matches were not fulfilled. “The rules are clear. It specifies if we don't fulfil the fixtures what the sanctions are and past there's notation to different sanctions undetermined. “I think it depends connected Uefa and what sanctions they levy connected idiosyncratic arsenic a effect of it. We saw a caller happening successful England and Southampton, the levies that were levied on them [expelled from the English Championship play-offs aft admitting spying connected opponents].”