Ireland versus Qatar halted twice by protest against Israel fixtures
Tennis balls bearing Palestinian flags stopped play twice in Dublin as protests intensified over Ireland’s upcoming matches against Israel
Irish football fans forced their team’s friendly against Qatar to be halted twice on Thursday night when they threw tennis balls featuring the Palestine flag onto the pitch – in opposition to the staging of the Nations League fixtures against Israel later this year.
Pressure has grown in Ireland for a boycott of those games against Israel because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign having held a protest at the Dáil (Irish parliament) on Tuesday.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) confirmed the games would go ahead, and that sparked further protests from fans during the Qatar friendly, which the Republic won 1-0.
There were two stoppages in the first half at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin that were caused by a grassroots coalition of League of Ireland fans involved in the ‘Stop The Game’ campaign that is focused on getting the FAI to boycott the autumn Nations League encounters with Israel.
Tennis balls were thrown towards the pitch at various intervals during the first half. In the 11th minute, fans at one end of the ground threw the first volley of tennis balls onto the pitch in protest, with a Palestinian flag also briefly waved from within the support behind the goal.
The game was paused for a second time in the 20th minute, as tennis balls were again thrown towards the pitch amid the ongoing protest.
Irish television station RTÉ reported that protesters were ejected from the ground, and McGrath predicted further backlash before the Republic of Ireland faced Israel in a neutral venue on 27 September and then 4 October in Dublin in the Nations League.
Republic of Ireland midfielder Jamie McGrath said he expected the controversy surrounding the side’s upcoming Israel fixtures to “heat up” after Thursday night’s protests.
Earlier this week, Republic of Ireland stalwart Seamus Coleman said the situation “should have been dealt with above us”.
McGrath said, “I obviously listened to Seamus’ interview, and I think he was spot on. It’s obviously a unique scenario. The people [protesters], we have to listen to them; they have the right to do what they do, as long as it’s done in a peaceful way. That’s all that matters.
“I’m sure it’s going to heat up over the next few months. Like I said, we don’t want to be put into a position. Hopefully the powers above us can work something out or use it for the greater good; I’m not sure what the process will be as it heats up.
“At the end of the day, we’re footballers and we don’t want to be caught in this, but sometimes we might have to.”
Republic team manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said he respected the protests that delayed Ireland’s friendly with Qatar but added that they ‘destroy’ the game for those who are concentrated on football.
“It didn’t bother me very much,” he said. “We respect the protest. “Everybody has a right to protest. It just kills a game. If they want to destroy the game for us, then so be it. Obviously, it’s not fun to see, especially for those of us who are trying to think about the football side.”
The FAI has confirmed the clashes with Israel will go ahead, and chief executive David Courell said the governing body had “no choice” and could face “serious consequences” if it pulled out of the games.
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