'I don't think the game should go ahead', says Ireland's Knight ahead of Israel match

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ireland-Gfyqk1aG/israel-rqK1ypob/?mid=2ySQv2E6"]The match will take place in the Hungarian city of Debrecen[/a] despite ongoing calls for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ireland/Gfyqk1aG/"]Ireland[/a] to boycott the fixture.[/p][p]No tickets for the game will be made available to Irish supporters after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) declined its allocation.[/p][p][b]"I don't think the game should be going ahead, but it is going ahead,"[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/knight-jason/MmeSRyIl/"]Knight[/a] told reporters after Thursday's 1-0 loss to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kosovo/v1DTPQwI/"]Kosovo[/a].[/p][p][b]"We'll have a deeper talk about it and what that means.[/b][/p][p][b]"I'm quite experienced. None of us have gone through this scenario before, but I'd like to think I'm experienced, thick-skinned, and I can get through most things and that is what I will try and do."[/b][/p][embed guid="eaf2faa1-4ee9-4a11-9fd7-e0235071b538" url="https://x.com/RTEsport/status/2103416996637311339?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said last week that some of his players felt uncomfortable about having to take part in the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/israel/rqK1ypob/"]Israel[/a] games.[/p][p]The two nations are due to meet again on October 4th at another neutral venue in Backa Topola, Serbia.[/p][p][b]"I'll try and focus on the football as much as I can,"[/b] added Knight, who plays for Championship club [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bristol-city/MahqU27I/"]Bristol City[/a].[/p][p][b]"It's a bigger spotlight obviously and not focused on the football itself.[/b][/p][p][b]"It's very, very unusual and none of us have come into this scenario before so we're learning on the fly as well."[/b][/p][p]Ireland has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, with sympathy for Palestinians often linked to the country's own history of British rule.[/p][p]Dublin formally recognised a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Spain and Norway, and has repeatedly criticised Israel over the Gaza conflict.[/p][p]Israel strongly rejects allegations that its conduct in Gaza amounts to genocide.[/p][infobox id="5a8fbd57-e97c-4bdc-9f6b-fb0fb254e893" /]