Eire ladies’s basketball group refused to shake palms with Israel earlier than their EuroBasket 2025 qualifier in Riga.
Israel participant Dor Saar stated on Wednesday that the Eire group is “fairly anti-Semitic”.
Basketball Eire stated the feedback have been “inflammatory and wholly inaccurate”.
Eire gamers additionally lined up for his or her anthem beside the group’s bench fairly than the centre of the court docket earlier than the sport, which Israel received 87-57.
Basketball Eire stated in a press release earlier than the beginning of the match that the group wouldn’t participate in “conventional pre-match preparations”.
Within the lead-up to the sport Israel coach Sharon Drucker stated Eire “didn’t respect” what the sport symbolises after Irish gamers expressed concern about taking part in.
Basketball Eire has reported Saar’s feedback to European basketball’s governing physique Fiba Europe.
The match, which was moved to Riga due to the continued battle in Gaza, went forward regardless of Basketball Eire dealing with stress to boycott the fixture.
Earlier within the week, Basketball Eire chief govt John Feehan stated the Irish group would face heavy fines and expulsion from the competitors if the group boycotted their fixtures with Israel.
He urged a boycott would “destroy our ladies’s worldwide recreation for the subsequent 10 years”.
Basketball Eire’s assertion previous to the beginning of the sport learn: “Basketball Eire knowledgeable Fiba Europe yesterday that as a direct results of current feedback made by Israeli gamers and training employees – together with inflammatory and wholly inaccurate accusations of anti-Semitism, revealed on official Israeli Federation channels – that our gamers won’t be partaking in conventional pre-match preparations with our upcoming opponents.
“This contains exchanging of items, formal handshakes earlier than or after the sport, whereas our gamers will line up for the Irish nationwide anthem by our bench fairly than centre court docket.
“Basketball Eire totally helps our gamers of their choice.”
In an interview on the Israeli Basketball Affiliation’s web site, United States-based scholar Saar stated: “It is identified that they’re fairly anti-semitic and it is no secret, and possibly that is why a powerful recreation is anticipated.
“We have now to indicate that we’re higher than them and win. We discuss it amongst ourselves. We all know they do not love us and we are going to depart every part on the sector all the time and on this recreation particularly.”
About 1,300 individuals have been killed throughout the Hamas assaults on southern Israel on 7 October final yr.
Greater than 27,700 Palestinians have been killed and at the very least 65,000 injured by the battle launched by Israel in response, in line with the Hamas-run well being ministry.