Heimir Hallgrimsson has said he is grateful for the support after Taoiseach Michéal Martin defended the Ireland manager following Israel’s FA said he embodied ‘stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy.’

The IFA’s comments on X came after Hallgrimsson called the War in Gaza a genocide, which an independent UN Commission also deemed the ongoing conflict to be.

Speaking at the United Nations Assembly in New York, Martin told reporters: ‘I think those are unacceptable remarks.

‘They should be withdrawn. We’re very clear in terms of what, and I think [UN secretary general] Antonio Guterres said it again this morning, [he] said that he had never in his lifetime seen the level and scale of death and destruction as he witnessed in terms of the Israeli government’s war on Gaza in the aftermath of the horrific Hamas attack in October preceding the war.

‘Our manager is saying the exact same thing, and Israel can’t keep denying what the world knows, and what the world understands.’

Speaking in Pristina ahead of Ireland’s UEFA Nations League opener against Kosovo, Heimir Hallgrimsson was reluctant to speak too much more on the Israel game, but when asked about Martin’s comments in particular, the Icelander was thankful for the backing of the Taoiseach.

‘Obviously, we’re grateful for all the support we have,’ Hallgrimsson said. ‘Creating and taking over maybe the headlines at the moment, what I said [at the] last press meeting we had, is taking the attention away from maybe what’s most important: we are playing an important game against Kosovo.

‘So that was not the purpose, and maybe from a leadership point of view not clever from me to take the attention like this. I need to be focused on the game, the players need to be focused on the game, but to answer the question, we’re thankful for all the support we get. It’s a tricky time for us.’

Defender Dara O’Shea said at the same press conference that the players will meet on Friday following the Kosovo game to discuss any actions they’ll take for the Israel game this Sunday.

‘Obviously there’s been a lot of noise around this week,’ the Ipswich Town man said. ‘The good thing we have as players is when we step into the squad, you’re in the international bubble straight away. So we’ve known the noise around the game, and there has been, but I think we’ve all tried to stay off social media as much as possible and stay together.

‘We’ve got a massive game tomorrow that we’ve been preparing for. We came in on Sunday, and our focus straight away was preparing for that game and giving it the amount of effort that it needs.

‘Kosovo are a great side, and we’ve been preparing for that. We spoke already at the start of the week that we’re going to come together on Friday and discuss this as a group.

He added: ‘Of course it’s a difficult situation and an unusual one for ourselves to find ourselves in. But I think for me, first and foremost, at club level or international level, it’s important that we all do come together and we all speak openly.

‘We’ve got to respect each other’s opinions and each other’s views and really sit down and take the time because it deserves the time to talk about. It’s the main thing and it’s something that can’t be brushed over. Whatever decision that we go through as players is taken as one and everybody’s view is respected as well.’

Ireland face off against Kosovo on Thursday, September 24, with kick-off at 7:45pm.