Republic of Ireland captain Nathan Collins has stated that the national team players must place their trust in football authorities and the Irish Government to make the correct decisions regarding their upcoming Nations League encounters with Israel.
The 25-year-old Brentford defender and his squad recently convened for friendly matches against World Cup-bound Qatar and co-hosts Canada.
However, their preparations have been overshadowed by ongoing controversy surrounding the fixtures against Israel, which the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has confirmed will proceed as planned.
Ireland is scheduled to face their Group B3 opponents on neutral ground on 27 September, followed by the return fixture at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 4 October.
Despite receiving government support for the matches, there have been significant protests and widespread calls for the team to boycott the games.
Asked if the players would discuss the situation, Collins said: “There will be something for the players to talk about.
“For the players, we just have to trust the FAI. We have to trust the government that they know what they’re doing.
“We’re picked to play football. We’re picked to represent our country.
“It’s a tough situation for us to be in and we have to trust the people around us, that they know what they are doing.”
Asked further if the players could take a stand, and if a team-mate who did would be respected, Collins replied: “What we’d speak about is hard to say, because you need the whole group together.
“But if individuals wanted to take a stand, we are not going to stand against them, we are not going to hold them back.
“They are entitled to their own opinions. If they are very strong about that, we can’t stop them.”
Collins joined up with the squad still processing the end of the Premier League season, which saw the Bees draw 1-1 at Liverpool and finish ninth in the table under former Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews, in the process only just missing out on European qualification.
The defender said: “If you’d offered that at the start of the season after our first game, I think you’d have snapped your hand off.
“But the way we carried on during the season and what we were doing and the momentum we had, there was a lot of frustration not qualifying for something.
“It doesn’t take away from the fact of what we did achieve and I felt how good we were during the season.
“Leaving Anfield with a draw and you’re frustrated, it doesn’t happen often. It’s a bit of mixed emotions.”
Ireland know those conflicting emotions only too well after seeing their World Cup play-off hopes dashed by the Czech Republic on penalties after leading 2-0 in Prague in March in a fixture which followed notable qualifier victories over Portugal and Hungary.
Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men went a long way towards restoring the bond between the national team and its fans with their efforts, but ultimately emerged without the prize they craved.
Collins said: “That was my first proper taste of it. Of course as a kid, I’ve seen Ireland have some great moments, but its so different when you’re involved in it.
“To see what it meant to fans and us controlling and having an effect on that makes you want to give them more.”
