Italy have nothing to apologise for as Azzurri respond to Israel accusation

Sources from the Italian national team respond to accusations from Israeli players and insist they had nothing to apologise for after a dramatic 5-4 win on Monday.

Tension erupted between Italy and Israel players on Monday night after the Azzurri’s 5-4 win in a World Cup qualifying fixture in the neutral turf of Debrecen, Hungary.

Italy squad celebrate against Israel (@Azzurri)

Israeli players accused Gennaro Gattuso’s side of directing insults at them throughout the match, sparking a post-game scuffle that involved Gigio Donnarumma and head coach Gattuso himself.

Reports in the Israeli media suggested that representatives of the Italian FA had apologised for the players’ behaviour, but Azzurri sources informally told Repubblica that no such apology was made and that there was nothing to apologise for.

BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Players of Italy during the National Anthem during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Estonia at Stadio di Bergamo on September 05, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy . (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

Sources from the Italian Federation also told Repubblica that the incident that occurred at the end of the game was an ‘on-field matter.’

BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Mateo Retegui of Italy in action during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Estonia at Stadio di Bergamo on September 05, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy . (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

Italy and Israel will meet again on October 14 in Udine.