Republic of Ireland to wear black armbands for Israel game

There appeared to be real doubt on Saturday morning whether the fixture would take place.

A pre-match news conference with manager Heimir Hallgrimsson and a player, scheduled for 09:15 BST, was postponed just 15 minutes before it was due to start, with reporters informed it would instead take place after the team's training session.

That training session, scheduled for 10:00 BST, also came and went with the team still in their hotel where reporters relocated in anticipation of a statement.