EVERYTHING COULD HAVE been so very different for the Republic of Ireland this week.
Heimir Hallgrímsson certainly willed it to be so.
Silent manifestation was not his way of doing things.
This time last year he almost caught people off guard at a squad announcement for summer friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg by being so forthright in his belief that Ireland would reach the World Cup.
“We all know this is a game of results. But we plan to go to the World Cup, end of story. We’re not even thinking of something else,” Hallgrímsson said in May 2025.
Wait, hold on?
Did he really?
He plans what?
The tape of his answer was replayed on more than one occasion to make sure nothing had been lost in translation.
Hallgrímsson was adamant.
“I plan for success. If you plan for success then you shouldn’t talk differently. I hope I’m not offending anyone but this is how we should all think – ‘we are going there’.”
He even explained that the reason he wanted to leave out a raft of regular players from his squad at the time was so they would be fresh for this summer’s tournament.
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Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson speaking on Wednesday. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Hallgrímsson was only short of requesting a FAI staffer head out to the American embassy in Ballsbridge to begin the visa paperwork early.
Such candour was to be admired, even if the draw with Hungary and grim defeat away to Armenia which followed made those words feel like hollow overcompensation at the start of the qualifying campaign.
By the end, things would change so wildly once again, and the manic, uncontrollable joy that came from outclassing Portugal in Dublin followed by Troy Parrott’s hat-trick in Budapest infused previously unimaginable levels of confidence with an intoxicating sense of destiny.
Before the World Cup play-off with Czechia in Prague, Hallgrímsson again issued a sermon of faith.
“You have to believe in what you are doing. For the next camp in March, I will show the Irish players our plans for the World Cup.”
The country was gripped by an absorbing feeling that seemed to belong to another time. And then came a familiar, brutal reality, as from a position of control in the play-off Ireland allowed a 2-0 lead slip away, eventually losing on penalty kicks.
And that is why this week has felt so very different to what everyone wanted. Hallgrímsson spoke in the pre-match press conference for tonight’s friendly with Qatar about how it was supposed to be a celebration of how far a group of players had come and sending them off to the World Cup in style.
Instead, there is a fragmented feeling to the window with a more experienced starting XI getting the nod in Dublin before some more experimentation against Canada in Montreal next week.
Jayson Molumby training on Wednesday. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“That’s what football is about, you can lose and win your opportunity in the future so just be ready. Seamie [Coleman] talked about these daily habits, training every day, training hard and then, when your opportunity comes, you are ready. It’s not about motivation, it’s about daily habits,” Hallgrímsson said of the opportunity for some to impress.
These games, though, have felt like a sideshow.
The spectre of what’s to come against Israel in the Nations League later this year has been more pronounced, partly because of the Stop The Games protest which took place outside the Dáil at around the same time captain Nathan Collins was speaking, while The 42revealed on Wednesday that the FAI were set to face formal opposition from its own membership in the General Assembly regarding its stance to fulfil the Nations League fixtures
It was the first time the issue about the games was brought up as a collective, with sources indicating to The 42 that the FAI wanted the players to be fully aware of the sensitivities around the games and the depth of feeling among many in the Irish public.
Hallgrímsson spoke on Wednesday about wanting that public to support the players rather than protest the games. Seamus Coleman was sitting beside the Ireland boss and had his say.
“My views are very clear on the fact that Nathan [Collins] and the younger players, and Ireland, the fans, the manager, it should not have landed on our toes to answer questions about this.
“It should have been dealt with above us. I am a Dad, I am a husband, I’ve got a heart, I know the difference between right and wrong.
“If I was to ask you the same question, it would be the same opinion. It is awful what is happening, it is extremely sad and a very difficult position for the players to be in.
“I don’t think we should be in this position. Absolutely not. But of course we got to answer on it. It is very uncomfortable.”
Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
When asked who should have answered, Coleman said: “Yeah, FAI, UEFA, whatever it is. I feel like it should not have landed on 22, 23, 24-year-old lads that are here to play for their country.
“We represent our country, the people of Ireland, and we got to take that into account, what their opinion is on it as well.
“It is not straight forward either. That is the human side, which is so, so important. It should not be on our toes. There is the football side, the sanctions and everything that comes with it. It is very difficult for us players, the manager and all the staff that we are dealing with this. You know our feelings as human beings.”
There is a very different sense of occasion this week, and rather than a joyous send-off for a World Cup it has instead provided a clear indication of what is to come when the first Israel game is due to come into view in September.
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Ireland's Qatar friendly a sideshow in a week dominated by talk of Israel boycott
EVERYTHING COULD HAVE been so very different for the Republic of Ireland this week.
Heimir Hallgrímsson certainly willed it to be so.
Silent manifestation was not his way of doing things.
This time last year he almost caught people off guard at a squad announcement for summer friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg by being so forthright in his belief that Ireland would reach the World Cup.
“We all know this is a game of results. But we plan to go to the World Cup, end of story. We’re not even thinking of something else,” Hallgrímsson said in May 2025.
Wait, hold on?
Did he really?
He plans what?
The tape of his answer was replayed on more than one occasion to make sure nothing had been lost in translation.
Hallgrímsson was adamant.
“I plan for success. If you plan for success then you shouldn’t talk differently. I hope I’m not offending anyone but this is how we should all think – ‘we are going there’.”
He even explained that the reason he wanted to leave out a raft of regular players from his squad at the time was so they would be fresh for this summer’s tournament.
Hallgrímsson was only short of requesting a FAI staffer head out to the American embassy in Ballsbridge to begin the visa paperwork early.
Such candour was to be admired, even if the draw with Hungary and grim defeat away to Armenia which followed made those words feel like hollow overcompensation at the start of the qualifying campaign.
By the end, things would change so wildly once again, and the manic, uncontrollable joy that came from outclassing Portugal in Dublin followed by Troy Parrott’s hat-trick in Budapest infused previously unimaginable levels of confidence with an intoxicating sense of destiny.
Before the World Cup play-off with Czechia in Prague, Hallgrímsson again issued a sermon of faith.
“You have to believe in what you are doing. For the next camp in March, I will show the Irish players our plans for the World Cup.”
The country was gripped by an absorbing feeling that seemed to belong to another time. And then came a familiar, brutal reality, as from a position of control in the play-off Ireland allowed a 2-0 lead slip away, eventually losing on penalty kicks.
And that is why this week has felt so very different to what everyone wanted. Hallgrímsson spoke in the pre-match press conference for tonight’s friendly with Qatar about how it was supposed to be a celebration of how far a group of players had come and sending them off to the World Cup in style.
Instead, there is a fragmented feeling to the window with a more experienced starting XI getting the nod in Dublin before some more experimentation against Canada in Montreal next week.
“That’s what football is about, you can lose and win your opportunity in the future so just be ready. Seamie [Coleman] talked about these daily habits, training every day, training hard and then, when your opportunity comes, you are ready. It’s not about motivation, it’s about daily habits,” Hallgrímsson said of the opportunity for some to impress.
These games, though, have felt like a sideshow.
The spectre of what’s to come against Israel in the Nations League later this year has been more pronounced, partly because of the Stop The Games protest which took place outside the Dáil at around the same time captain Nathan Collins was speaking, while The 42 revealed on Wednesday that the FAI were set to face formal opposition from its own membership in the General Assembly regarding its stance to fulfil the Nations League fixtures
The reference to trusting the FAI and the government was pointed as earlier that morning, a delegation from the association spoke to the players and staff to brief them about what their position was.
It was the first time the issue about the games was brought up as a collective, with sources indicating to The 42 that the FAI wanted the players to be fully aware of the sensitivities around the games and the depth of feeling among many in the Irish public.
Hallgrímsson spoke on Wednesday about wanting that public to support the players rather than protest the games. Seamus Coleman was sitting beside the Ireland boss and had his say.
“My views are very clear on the fact that Nathan [Collins] and the younger players, and Ireland, the fans, the manager, it should not have landed on our toes to answer questions about this.
“It should have been dealt with above us. I am a Dad, I am a husband, I’ve got a heart, I know the difference between right and wrong.
“If I was to ask you the same question, it would be the same opinion. It is awful what is happening, it is extremely sad and a very difficult position for the players to be in.
“I don’t think we should be in this position. Absolutely not. But of course we got to answer on it. It is very uncomfortable.”
When asked who should have answered, Coleman said: “Yeah, FAI, UEFA, whatever it is. I feel like it should not have landed on 22, 23, 24-year-old lads that are here to play for their country.
“We represent our country, the people of Ireland, and we got to take that into account, what their opinion is on it as well.
“It is not straight forward either. That is the human side, which is so, so important. It should not be on our toes. There is the football side, the sanctions and everything that comes with it. It is very difficult for us players, the manager and all the staff that we are dealing with this. You know our feelings as human beings.”
There is a very different sense of occasion this week, and rather than a joyous send-off for a World Cup it has instead provided a clear indication of what is to come when the first Israel game is due to come into view in September.
Possible Ireland starting XI: Caoimhín Kelleher; Seamus Coleman, Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Liam Scales; Chiedozie Ogbene, Jayson Molumby, Killian Phillips, Jamie McGrath; Troy Parrott.
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