As the FAI continues to weigh up its options for this autumn’s Nations League meetings with Israel, Republic of Ireland assistant manager John O’Shea has echoed the sentiments of defender Séamus Coleman, calling Israel’s war in Gaza “harrowing”. The national team are under increasing public pressure to boycott the back-to-back meetings, the first on September 27th and then a return fixture on October 3rd. That second match is the subject of continued debate, with the FAI holding a board meeting on Thursday to discuss its options, a move to a neutral venue being one potential outcome. Last week Coleman won praise when he opened up on the issue, saying he “knows the difference between right and wrong” before taking aim at higher authorities – most likely the Irish Government and Uefa – in arguing the Israel debate “should not have landed on our toes”. Subsequent protests from Ireland fans during Thursday’s meeting with Qatar at the Aviva Stadium elevated the problem. O’Shea was effusive in backing his defender. “We’ll be 100 per cent behind Séamus’s answer, and fully respect any of the players’ opinions on the scenario,” said O’Shea in Montreal this week. “It’s only going to get stronger and stronger, that opinion, the public opinion, and you’re fully aware of it.“What Séamus said, being a dad, I have three kids myself. Nobody wants to see innocent kids being involved in scenarios like that. Nobody. It’s not right, and listen, the FAI have made their statement on it. Heimir [Hallgrímsson] has spoken about it, and I’d echo that sentiment as well. Obviously [Uefa] acted on Russia, they haven’t acted on Israel. We fully appreciate it’s not right. Ultimately it’s not right.”Boycotting the matches could see Ireland hit with Uefa punishment and O’Shea, like Hallgrímsson, would prefer not to suffer sporting sanctions. But he’s aware of public sentiment.“You don’t want to lose any sporting advantage. But we totally understand the nation’s feelings, and for us to be involved in this scenario, it’s not right. Any sanctions that affect Irish football, in the sense of sporting sanctions, losing games, having defeats, giving an advantage to other teams, it’s not right. Hopefully the authorities, and the Government, Uefa, can resolve it for us.”While Government figures have consistently suggested the game should go ahead, both Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan and Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State for Sport, have said they will not attend. O’Shea appeared to take issue with such mixed messaging.“Listen, it’s a strange one,” he added. “You’re thinking if the Government are making that statement, to say the game should go ahead, et cetera, et cetera ... I suppose the public will make their feelings known on comments like that too. We have to respect everyone’s opinion on it, people’s right to peaceful protests as well. We fully understand that, because like I mentioned, innocent children being involved in scenarios, it’s harrowing stuff.”