Amid the controversy and shame of the first of Ireland’s highly-contentious Nations League double-header with Israel, one man stood above all others.
In a saga the like of which has not been seen in Irish football since Saipan, Gavin Bazunu was and remains the only player to fully stick by his beliefs and refuse to play either game, becoming a hero to many in the process.
To this writer and his family, it was just further proof of the type of person the 24-year-old goalkeeper is.
Destined for the top but also a model student
Bazunu was earmarked for the top from a young age, making his debut for Shamrock Rovers at the age of just 16 in the summer of 2018. He was quickly snapped up by Manchester City, who paid over £400,000 for the teenager - a record fee for a non-professional in Ireland.
At first, it was decided the youngster would stay with Rovers so as to continue his studies at Ashfield College in Dublin alongside several academy teammates and complete his Leaving Certificate, the Irish equivalent of the A Levels.
Like the vast majority of students in the country, Bazunu studied the Irish language. He was taught by my uncle Declan Fitzpatrick, with whom he quickly struck up a bond over their shared love of football, albeit his teacher was the staunchest of Liverpool fans.
Bazunu eventually left for Manchester in the early months of 2019 but still sat his final exams, my uncle forwarding the material for his new teachers across the Irish Sea in England to follow.
In 2021, the same year Bazunu made his senior debut for the Irish national team aged just 19, Declan died following a short battle with cancer. In the days after his funeral, his wife received a mass card and handwritten letter from Ireland’s new No.1 to a house quite literally named Anfield.
In it, Bazunu detailed his strong relationship with Declan and remembered a line his teacher told him during a difficult stage in his time at Ashfield: “The most durable of metals are created in the hottest furnaces.”
Never was a phrase more appropriate this week. One of the most significant in recent Irish sporting history. With the FAI in sadly familiar disarray, the calls for a boycott of the game in Hungary only grew louder as the weekend inched ever closer.
Bazunu informed manager Heimir Hallgrímsson on Saturday morning that his conscience would not allow him to partake in the fixture. It kickstarted a chaotic day of crisis talks and a player vote over whether to play the game or not.
Rumours swirled over how many players did not want to play, with as many as eight not keen on playing, according to reputable sources. There were also reports of a player confronting Bazunu over his decision before later apologising. It was a tense situation the squad should never have been in.
Wednesday’s Oireachtas (Parliament) meeting should have shed more light on the situation but left the nation’s mood darkened by the so-called “leadership” of those at the top of the sport.
It was confirmed that none of Ireland’s goalkeepers were consulted over the Israel games prior to the squad announcement. An utterly bizarre decision that was followed up by an admittance that two player votes took place. Little to no more information was provided.
With the rest of the squad sitting out media duties for obvious reasons, only Bazunu has been heard and he’s the sole representative of Irish football speaking sense right now.
On Saturday, he took to Instagram outlining his reasons for not playing the game, all of which were pure basic humanity and in line with the will of the general population, most notably his “personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.” Hardly controversial.
Bazunu also added: “I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle” and, importantly, that “there are few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe this is one of them.”
It is a stance that more footballers could and should take, with their role in society far more important than some try and make it out to be. It was not one without potential cost. Bazunu has more to lose than plenty of the Irish squad.
His career has plateaued slightly since the heights of a £12m move to Southampton and regular Premier League football. A devastating Achilles injury suffered in April 2024 kept him out for over 250 days, during this time he was firmly supplanted in the Irish goalkeeping ranks by Caoimhin Kelleher.
He understandably struggled for form upon return, also losing his Saints No.1 spot to Israel’s Daniel Peretz of all keepers. Former Chelsea and Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim shamefully claimed that was the reason for Bazunu’s withdrawal from the fixtures in an Instagram post.
Now, coincidentally, at Bolton and still not even in his mid-20s, he has so much of his career ahead, but there has been talk of likely agent lobbying around the fixture. It could impact his future prospects. That may have been a big factor in others’ decision to play, but not Bazunu.
Serious allegations of racism from Israeli supporters towards Adam Idah have only strengthened the demand to have Sunday’s game in Serbia boycotted.
One player has received widespread adulation, chants and love, and deservedly so. My uncle’s wife was not surprised he tracked down her address five years ago, nor that he withdrew five days ago.
Gavin Bazunu possibly may never be Ireland’s No.1 again on the pitch, but his national hero status off the pitch is forever undisputed.
