FAI president Paul Cooke believes Israel build-up ‘went as well as could be expected’

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) president Paul Cooke has defended the handling of the build-up to the Nations League clash with Israel in Hungary, saying the week “went as well as could be expected in the face of unprecedented coverage”.

Heimir Hallgrímsson admitted after Ireland’s 3-0 win in Debrecen that he believed at one point yesterday that the game would not go ahead, and was visibly emotional as he described the build-up as the most difficult experience of his career.