UEFA opens investigation after allegations of violence and spitting in Ireland-Israel match

“Violence and spitting”: those are the allegations surrounding the investigation opened after Ireland-Israel. On Tuesday, UEFA began disciplinary proceedings after reviewing the official reports from Sunday’s match. The reports referred to an “allegation of an incident”; they do not, by themselves, establish what happened or whether any player was responsible.

The governing body appointed an inspector responsible for ethics and discipline. The inspector will examine possible improper conduct by one or more players. The match finished 1-1 in Bačka Topola, Serbia. The investigation is intended to establish what took place and whether any misconduct occurred; no disciplinary conclusion has been announced at this stage.

In a separate report concerning the match, a player is suspected of spitting at Damien Doyle, the opposing team’s performance director. The allegation remains to be established and should not be treated as a finding of guilt.

After the match, a man told reporters, “Yes, I was there,” before adding: “I won’t comment on that; it is something a disciplinary committee will probably deal with.” The response points to the possibility of disciplinary scrutiny but says nothing about its eventual outcome.