Former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr has made a series of extraordinary claims about the turmoil within the Irish camp, saying goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has been left ‘shunned’ after refusing to play against Israel.
Speaking as a pundit on Virgin Media on Saturday night, Kerr revealed that he had been in contact with Bazunu, who withdrew from Ireland’s two Nations League fixtures against Israel on grounds of conscience.
Kerr went into some detail about the fallout and painted a troubling picture of how the goalkeeper had been treated.
‘I think it’s a very legitimate decision for him to take, I think it’s a heroic decision,’ Kerr said. ‘But I have been in touch with him this evening, and he is feeling quite low and shunned by some of the players and by the FAI.’
Kerr went further, claiming it had been put to Bazunu that he should leave the squad for the rest of this international break – rather than simply sit out the Israel games, something the former manager branded ‘disgraceful’.
‘It has been suggested to him that it would be better if he left the squad, which I think is disgraceful, because they have a match against Austria to play, and why shouldn’t he be involved in that game,’ he said.
Perhaps most strikingly, Kerr claimed that Bazunu had been frozen out of the crucial squad meeting where players voted on whether to fulfil the fixture.
‘He wasn’t, by the way, at the meeting earlier. He wasn’t told about the meeting or involved in the meeting this morning,’ Kerr said, meaning the goalkeeper played no part in the vote.
Kerr also claimed, citing his own sources, that the players had voted 14-8 in favour of playing the game.
The FAI has not confirmed any figures, with chief executive David Courell describing the outcome only as a ‘significant majority’. Had Bazunu been involved, that ‘significant majority’ may have been 14-9, suggesting a far more divided outcome.
The FAI has offered a different account of how Bazunu came to be left out of consultations. Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said he had spoken to the outfield players about the fixtures but not the goalkeepers, explaining: ‘It’s not my connection to talk to the goalkeepers. I leave that to others.’
Bazunu, who remains available for Thursday’s game against Austria, set out his own position in a statement, saying he is ‘a man of strong faith’ and that he felt it ‘would be wrong to participate’ against Israel.
Ireland are set to fulfil the fixture in Debrecen this evening but there are still fears that further turmoil could emerge before kickout.
