Southampton forward Finn Azaz has confirmed he will continue to represent the Republic of Ireland despite reports that he may retire from international football.
International Career and Recent Controversy
The 26-year-old told BBC Radio Solent that he would carry on playing for the country where he holds citizenship and has made 16 appearances since his debut in 2024. Azaz, who was born in England, represents Ireland through his father but also qualified for Israel through his mother.
Azaz was an unused substitute when the Republic of Ireland met Israel in two recent Nations League matches – games that were embroiled in controversy – and reports afterwards suggested he could call time on his international career. The Republic of Ireland players faced calls to withdraw from the games due to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.
A campaign called “Stop The Game”, organised by the pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine, staged protests before and during the Republic’s game against Austria in Dublin, prior to their second match against Israel. However, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) decided to fulfil the fixtures, which had already been moved to neutral venues, with the Republic of Ireland winning the first match 3-0 before playing out a 1-1 draw. Ireland wore black armbands for the matches and bowed their heads when Israel’s national anthem was played before kick-off, while the two teams did not shake hands.
Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said following the second match that the period had been “tough” on Azaz “mentally”. Hallgrimsson stated that it was probably the most difficult situation for him of all of them, adding that he deserved a lot of credit for being in the squad and showed desire to be a part of this team.
Club Form at Southampton
Azaz has had an impressive start to the campaign and has emerged as one of Southampton’s most important players. Since signing from Middlesborough last summer, the Irishman has scored 14 goals with 15 assists having played 60 times.
Azaz has called for more from the group as they push for promotion back to the Premier League. He told BBC Radio Solent that it has been a good start by the team but they are not there yet, noting there is still space to get to another level and they have been pretty consistent.
He added that you have to build that mentality, and it is now about them wanting to keep improving and not just being content with how they are doing. Azaz stated that they have high aspirations and the mindset has to be to keep getting better.
Source: BBC Sport
