Irish soccer team wears black armbands, refuse to shake Israeli players' hands during match

The Irish national soccer team was spotted wearing black armbands and refused to shake the Israeli players' hands on Sunday's UEFA Nations League match in Debrecen, Hungary. The decision follows several conflicts within the team, with players even demanding not to play the game due to the war in Gaza. According to UEFA rules, black armbands are reserved for universally recognized tragedies, periods of national mourning, or the passing of prominent football figures, and require prior approval from the soccer association. England, for example, wore approved black armbands in its latest game against Spain on Saturday to remember English soccer legend Kevin Keegan, who passed away in July. It's not clear that Ireland received the approval. Ireland struck early in the game, with three successive goals in the first 25 minutes of play. On the third goal, midfielder Jack Moylan took off the black armband and kissed it to celebrate. Irish soccer player with Israeli descent benched Finn Azaz, who is Irish with Israeli descent, was benched for the match, following rumors that he was among the players pushing for the match to be played and reports that he is considering retiring from international football due to the conflict. According to reports by The Irish Independent, Azaz made an "impassioned speech" during an Irish team meeting to decide what to do about the upcoming fixture, and whether the squad would forfeit the match, play it with a statement, or without one. Azaz has not made any public statements regarding his international career or the situation with the fixture against Israel, with The 42 report mentioning that the suggestion of retirement could have been raised by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). This is a developing story.