On September 26, 2026, Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the Republic of Ireland squad before the UEFA Nations League meeting with Israel. He said he would not take part in the fixture or the return game later in the same window.Gavin Bazunu is a 24-year-old Republic of Ireland goalkeeper. He was born in Dublin on 20 February 2002 and plays for Bolton Wanderers. Bazunu has 22 senior caps for Ireland. He began at Shamrock Rovers and moved to Manchester City in 2019. He later had loans at Rochdale and Portsmouth before joining Southampton in 2022. He signed for Bolton on 28 August 2026.The Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper confirmed the decision after telling head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson that he did not wish to be involved against Israel. He later set out that stance in a statement posted on Instagram. The first of the two ties was scheduled for Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary, a neutral venue used for Israel's "home" match, with Ireland's designated home fixture moved to Bačka Topola in Serbia on October 4 and due to be played behind closed doors. The Football Association of Ireland said a significant majority of the remaining players voted to fulfill the fixtures after delayed training and a postponed press conference in Hungary. Gavin Bazunu said the choice was personal and was not directed at Israeli people or the Jewish community. As reported by the Irish Independent, Gavin Bazunu was the player who had told officials he would not face Israel. On September 27, he then published this explanation on Instagram:"Representing my country means everything to me. I have the utmost respect for every single one of my teammates, the Manager, his staff and the Irish people. However, I have reached a decision that I have not taken lightly. I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle, therefore I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel."He continued:"My decision is based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong. It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region. There are few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostGavin Bazunu and the Ireland-Israel Nations League fixturesGavin Bazunu's club career began at Shamrock Rovers in Dublin before a move to Manchester City in 2019. He had loan spells at Rochdale and Portsmouth, then joined Southampton from City in 2022 and made 92 appearances for the Saints, including a loan period at Stoke City. On August 28, 2026, Bolton Wanderers signed Gavin Bazunu from Southampton on a three-year contract through June 30, 2029. He is listed at 1.88 meters and holds Irish citizenship. He is also eligible through Nigerian heritage. Transfermarkt records the Ireland-Israel withdrawal on his profile. After sitting out the Israel fixtures, Gavin Bazunu was expected to rejoin the national group for the Austria assignment and then return to Championship duty with Bolton.The two Nations League meetings sit in Group B3 of the 2026-27 competition and arrived after months of public pressure in Ireland for the team not to play Israel because of the war in Gaza. FAI members had earlier asked UEFA to keep Ireland apart from Israel in future draws. They had previously supported a call for Israel to be suspended from European competition. UEFA rejected a request to separate the associations, saying it handles such cases individually and that the two countries are not in direct conflict. The FAI had already said it would fulfill the fixtures rather than forfeit them and face possible disciplinary action. David Courell, the FAI chief executive, told reporters in Debrecen that one player had expressed discomfort with the fixture to the head coach and indicated an intent to withdraw. The squad then voted, and a significant majority backed playing. Former Ireland manager Brian Kerr later said on Virgin Media, citing people close to the dressing room, that the vote among the other players was 14-8. Heimir Hallgrímsson said the rest of the squad trained and that the game would go ahead, while adding that further discussions were expected. Players who remained in the squad were due to wear black armbands for all lives lost in the conflict. They were also due to skip parts of the pre-match ceremony and media duties, and to donate match fees. Revenue from Ireland's game against Austria on October 1 is also due to be directed to charity.Gavin Bazunu said he did not want to leave the wider squad and made himself available for the match against Austria in Dublin. Ireland had played Kosovo in Pristina on September 24 before traveling to Hungary. The FAI sold no tickets to Irish supporters for the Debrecen game, and the Israel Football Association said only a small number of tickets had been sold to its own supporters.