West Ham's Manor Solomon speaks out after controversial Israel vs Republic of Ireland showdown

West Ham United forward Manor Solomon featured as Israel were beaten by the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

The fixture went ahead despite politically charged tensions since February leading up to the Nations League fixture.

The match was played at a neutral venue in Debrecen, Hungary, with only a small section of Israel supporters, though it was reported a handful of Ireland fans were inside the stadium, too.

Ireland ran out 3-0 winners on the night, with Troy Parrott, Adam Idah, and Jack Moylan on target in the Group B3 fixture.

The two teams will play the reverse fixture on 4 October, with the match taking place in Serbia.

Following the game, Hammers winger Solomon spoke to the media about the controversies surrounding the fixture.

What did West Ham winger Manor Solomon say after the Israel vs Republic of Ireland game?

Ireland players had faced calls for months not to play the game due to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict in the Middle East.

A "Stop The Game" campaign - organised by the pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine - had been calling for a boycott of the fixture.

Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu opted not to play in the fixture, saying it would not be right to do so.

The squad took a vote on whether to go ahead with the game following a lengthy meeting at the team hotel in Debrecen, and decided to play.

Following the game, Solomon spoke with Israeli media to talk about Ireland's players, who bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem and wore black armbands.

In quotes reported by the Times of Israel, he said: "I don’t want to talk about [the Irish players]. If I say what I think of them, I’d likely be suspended for a few matches. Obviously they hate us. We don’t like them.

“I’m waiting for the next game against them. It’ll be a completely different game entirely.”

He added: "They don’t interest me. We have a country 10 times better than theirs, stronger, an amazing country with amazing people.

"We are proud to wear the team shirt and to be Israelis. We are proud of our state and of our soldiers. They can play all their tricks. We are Israelis and love the country. And that will always be the case.”

What happened pre-game with Manor Solomon?

Before the game, Solomon - the Israel captain - and Ireland skipper Dara O'Shea met with the officials in the centre of the pitch.

The usual toss of the coin to decide which way the teams would play took place.

Both skippers then shook hands with the officials for the game, but opted to snub one another when it came to the usual embrace between captains.

After scoring Ireland's third goal, Moylan took off his armband and kissed it before also kissing Ireland's badge.

For sure, this will only continue until the reverse fixture next week.