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Ireland's U21 game off after Gabon opt not to travel

The Republic of Ireland's U21 friendly against Gabon this week will not go ahead because Gabon decided not to travel.

Ireland was due to play the African side on Tuesday in Austria as part of three friendly games. Ireland will now only play Ukraine on Friday and Kuwait on Monday, June 19.

The FAI stated on Monday that Ireland will play two games instead of three. The statement read: "The organisers of Ireland U21s' friendly against Gabon, due to take place tomorrow in Austria, informed the FAI this morning that the fixture is off after Gabon elected not to travel. This is outside of our control, and Ireland will now continue preparations for Ukraine and Kuwait."

The organisers of Ireland U21s’ friendly against Gabon, due to take place tomorrow in Austria, informed the FAI this morning the fixture is off after Gabon elected not to travel

This is outside of our control and Ireland will now continue preparations for Ukraine and Kuwait pic.twitter.com/WTwMxFg7OO

— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) June 12, 2023

Jim Crawford, Under-21s head coach, has named a 26-man squad for three friendlies against Gabon, Ukraine, and Kuwait in Austria next week.

Nine players, including James Abankwah, Killian Cahill, and Conor Carty, received their first Under-21s call-ups. Darragh Burns returns to the squad after a year away.

Ireland Under-21s SquadGoalkeepers: Tiernan Brooks (Notts County), Killian Cahill (Brighton & Hove Albion), Josh Keeley (Tottenham Hotspur)Defenders: James Abankwah (Udinese), Tayo Adaramola (Crystal Palace), Sam Curtis (St. Patrick’s Athletic) James Furlong (Brighton & Hove Albion), Anselmo Garcia MacNulty (Wolfsburg), Sean Grehan (Crystal Palace), Connor O’Riordan (Crewe Alexandra), Sean Roughan (Lincoln City)Midfielders: Darragh Burns (MK Dons), Jack Henry-Francis (Arsenal), Joe Hodge (Wolves), Bosun Lawal (Celtic), Ed McJannet (Lecce), Killian Phillips (Crystal Palace), Rocco Vata (Celtic) Harry Vaughan (Hull City)Forwards: Sinclair Armstrong (QPR), Conor Carty (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Dylan Duffy (Lincoln City), Johnny Kenny (Shamrock Rovers, on loan from Celtic), Andrew Moran (Brighton & Hove Albion), Armstrong Oko-Flex (West Ham United), Ollie O’Neill (Derry City, on loan from Fulham)Ireland Under-21s international friendly fixtures (All times are Irish Standard Time)Friday, June 16 | Ukraine U21 v Ireland U21, KO 5pm. Monday, June 19 | Ireland U21 v Kuwait U22, KO 4pm.