Ireland braced for a game that will be lost in time compared to historic moment in time

David Sneyd reports from Pristina

An editorial note re: The 42’s reporting on the Uefa Nations League matches between Ireland and Israel is available to read here.

THE WORDS OF Kosovo midfielder Leon Avdullahu brought some semblance of normality to this international window.

His assessment of the Republic of Ireland team was clichéd and comforting amid the controversy surrounding Israel, a topic which, of course, dominated the Irish section of the pre-match press conference in Pristina on Wednesday.

The hosts were not entertaining any such questions of their own feelings about playing Israel, the media officer quickly interjecting when the subject was raised.

They have enough going on right now. 

Instead, Hoffenheim’s Avdullahu spoke about how he expected a “strong, physical match with intensity” against Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side on Thursday night.

He said Kosovo want to finish top of Group B3 in the Nations League and was not shying away from that. “We will be ready for a strong Ireland team and we have nothing to fear.”

Ordinarily, a lot of the same topics raised with the Kosovans would have been central to discussion about where this Ireland team are under Hallgrímsson. Instead, there was no getting away from the dynamics at play for the players this week.

Wednesday was the first opportunity to speak with a member of the squad as the FAI scaled back all elements of this international window that were not mandated by Uefa. Still, while stand-in captain Dara O’Shea said the players had the “luxury” of coming together in Dublin and shutting themselves off from the outside protests, they were impossible to ignore.

“The noise is there. You can feel pressure from that too.”

A decision has been made to meet “as one” on Friday before Sunday’s game with Israel in Debrecen, Hungary. It’s understood Hallgrímsson and his staff will not be part of the discussions and will leave it to the players.

Amid talk of gestures, one FAI source said it would be left for the players to decide if they would take their usual match fee or make a charitable donation instead.

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It was raised with O’Shea again if a boycott could be the result of those discussions on Friday. “The decision was made by the FAI, Uefa and the [Irish] government for the game to be played,” he said.

“For us as players, that’s not our decision. When called upon we come and represent our country and that’s important to know, too. When we come together, we’ll speak openly about how we feel and what we feel is right. And, yeah, that will be given its time on Friday.”

O’Shea was measured yet direct with his message.

“That decision should never be made by the players. Whatever decision is made by the people higher up, that’s the decision made. We totally understand the situation and understand the noise and the feelings as well.

“We’ve been speaking to the association for quite a while. It hasn’t just been a thing that has been brought up. And we understand, I suppose, the consequences as such to not fulfil the fixture.”

There was a noticeable FAI presence as the squad went through their paces at the Fadil Vokrri Stadium, a venue which has hosted both Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians in European action over the last two years.

 Packie Bonner, the chairperson of the international and high performance committee, was there with fellow independent board member Laura Finnegan O’Halloran, chairperson Tony Keohane, president Paul Cooke, and director of football John Martin.

FAI chief executive David Courell is not travelling to Kosovo for the game and will instead head to Hungary for the game with Israel on Sunday. Last week, the CEO explained how Cooke had conversations with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin in Thessaloniki regarding the Israel situation.

Cooke sat in the Ireland dugout alongside Keohane for most of the training session but when he did leave it was to take a phone call and walk towards the tunnel area. When he was asked by Irish journalists if he would speak today or this week he said it was “unlikely.”

Usually a positive result on the pitch would help to shape the discourse but once this game with Kosovo is out of the way the focus will sharpen further on what is to come. Win, lose, or draw, the fallout from Pristina will be brief.

This feels like a game that will be lost in time because it precedes one such an historic moment in time for Irish football.

Optimism in Kosovo is understandably high. Like Ireland, they missed out on a place in the World Cup last summer after defeat in the play-off. Turkiye advanced but wins at home and away to Sweden provided a boost to confidence.

The talk is not of fearing a hangover, but rather a springboard to better things under German boss Franco Foda, a respected figure who the Klan Kosova football journalist Endrit Krasniqi says “understands the mentality of Kosovo’s society and has turned that into his strongest weapon.”

Foda has turned a group of players “with great talent but excessive euphoria and a lack of experience” into one with greater confidence.

Foda says his team will go after Ireland “with high intensity.”

Hallgrímsson name-checked Vedat Muriqi as someone who is a standout for the home side. The striker is now with Fenerbahce – he scored four times last weekend – after earning a move from Real Mallorca. Only Kylian Mbappe scored more goals than the 32-year-old in La Liga last season.

Troy Parrott has arrived in Spain with Real Betis this summer and provides a new form of hope that these are the kinds of games Ireland

“Apparently he (Parrott) is a very strong player, a big payer, but we are ready to face him and all of the Ireland players,” Avdullahu said. “We have big players in our team as well so we are ready.”

It hasn’t all be plain sailing. Captain and Napoli centre back Amir Rrahmani leads an exodus of players in revolt against the Kosovo FA’s president.

The decision of Bayern Munich’s 17-year-old midfielder Erblin Osmani to opt for Kosovo rather than his native Germany after being in their underage set-up is a boost.

The Fadil Vokrri Stadium holds just under 14,000 and is a short walk from the centre of town. Since Tuesday evening there have been Ireland fans arriving and just over 800 are expected in the allocated away section.

In a sign of the boom times for the Kosovo national team, general admission ticket prices were in two bands, €20 and €50, while there are still VIP tickets available for €150 in a country where the average wage is around €600 per month.

It will be money well spent if they see their side triumph on Thursday night while attention will quickly turn to matters of far greater significance for Ireland.