UEFA probes Israeli player for allegedly spitting at Ireland coach

UEFA confirmed on Tuesday that it has opened an investigation into the tunnel bust-up during last weekend's Nations League game between the Republic of Ireland and Israel in Serbia.The row took place at half-time in the 1-1 draw in Backa Topola, with media reports saying that a member of the Republic of Ireland coaching staff claimed he had been spat at by an Israeli player.Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson later confirmed there had been a fracas."Yeah, I was there," he told journalists after the game."I'm not going to comment on that one, that's something that a disciplinary committee would probably look at."On Tuesday, UEFA said that "following a review of the official reports which contained an allegation of an incident in or around the tunnel at halftime, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct the appropriate disciplinary investigation regarding potential misconducts from player(s)."Asked about the half-time incident, Israel head coach Ran Ben-Shimon said he "didn't see anything".It was the second time in a week that the two teams had played amid tensions over the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.Ireland won the first match 3-0 in Hungary.The Irish players again bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem and the teams refused to shake hands before the match.