Ireland midfielder Jason Knight has announced his opposition to playing the next game against Israel in the UEFA Nations League, becoming the first national team player to publicly state that his country should not play this game.

Knight's statement, 25 years old, came after Ireland's loss to Kosovo (1-0) in Pristina. He said: "I don't think the game should be held, but it will be held."

He added: "We will have a deeper discussion about this issue and what it means. We will gather our thoughts as a team and go from there," referring to discussions the players will have before Sunday's match in Debrecen, Hungary.

The Irish Football Association announced its opposition to Israel's continued participation, and UEFA called for its suspension, but decided not to unilaterally boycott the game due to the sporting and economic consequences that could result.