Adam Idah did not hear it.
That is the strange part of the story the Football Association of Ireland is now trying to pin down. The player at the centre of it was unaware anything had happened until after the final whistle in Debrecen, and is now being supported by team-mates and staff through the rest of the international break.
The FAI is investigating whether the Swansea City forward was racially abused by Israel supporters during Sunday's 3-0 Nations League win. BBC Sport understands that Jayson Molumby went to the match officials during play and asked them to listen out for chanting he believed was abusive, coming from the small group of Israel fans in the ground.
The protocol that did not get followed
After the game the officials told FAI staff they had not subsequently heard any racist chanting. When the association raised it with the Uefa match delegate, it was told that because no clear allegation of racism had been reported during the match itself, the normal protocols had not been triggered, and Uefa could not open an investigation.
So the FAI is building the case itself. It is gathering high-quality footage of the match, including audio captured by the pitchside microphones, and setting up a panel to go through it. If that panel decides there is evidence Idah was abused, the association will make a formal complaint and ask Uefa to look again.
Whether that happens before or after Sunday's return fixture against Israel, in Backa Topola in Serbia and behind closed doors, is not yet clear. Uefa has been contacted for comment.
A match that was in doubt until the last hours
Idah scored Ireland's second goal in a game that almost did not take place. Irish fans and politicians had campaigned against fulfilling the fixture, the squad held late discussions about whether to play, and the match was moved to Debrecen in Hungary with about 300 Israel supporters present and no tickets sold to Irish fans. It is nominally a home game for Ireland.
The FAI had voted earlier this year to play both fixtures, having weighed the risk of fines and expulsion from competitions if it refused. It has since asked Uefa to keep the two nations apart in future draws. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the squad, saying he felt it "would be wrong to participate", and while he is back for Thursday's game against Austria in Dublin he will sit out the second Israel fixture.
The temperature around the tie
There were no handshakes before kick-off and no exchange of pennants. The Irish players bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem and wore black armbands, which the FAI described as being in recognition of all lives lost in the conflict. Jack Moylan kissed his armband after scoring the third.
Israel captain Manor Solomon made his own feelings plain afterwards. "I'm waiting for the next game against them," he said. "It will be a completely different game entirely. They don't interest me." He added that if he said what he really thought he would probably be suspended. None of that suggests the return fixture will be any calmer, and the FAI will be hoping its panel has reached a conclusion by then.
Match facts: Israel 0-3 Republic of Ireland, Uefa Nations League Group B3, Debrecen, Sunday 27 September 2026. Troy Parrott 14, Adam Idah 16, Jack Moylan 25. Ireland play Austria in Dublin on Thursday and Israel again in Backa Topola, behind closed doors, on 4 October. Source: BBC Sport.
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