Protests01 October, 20262 min read
Pro-Palestine Protesters Throw Tennis Balls, Halt Ireland Vs Austria Twice In Dublin
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Ireland vs Austria Nations League match in Dublin was interrupted twice by pro-Palestine protests. Tennis balls with Palestinian flags were thrown onto the pitch, triggering hydration breaks.
Tennis balls halt play
Pro-Palestine protesters disrupted the UEFA Nations League match between Ireland and Austria in Dublin twice, first when spectators threw tennis balls covered in Palestinian flag stickers onto the field in the 19th minute. The referee sent the players for a hydration break after the tennis balls landed with Ireland 1-0 up after 19 minutes played, and the match resumed after a four-minute break. A man then ran onto the pitch waving a Palestinian flag in the 35th minute, briefly interrupting the game again before it ended in a 2-2 draw.
“In the 19th minute, spectators threw tennis balls covered in Palestinian flag stickers onto the field.”
Heimir Hallgrimsson said afterwards that “you are never happy with this [protests], but understand it and respect it.” The incidents followed controversy over last Sunday’s Nations League match between Ireland and Israel, which took place in Hungary in a virtually empty stadium and ended with Ireland winning 3-0.
Stop the Game campaign
The “Stop the Game” initiative organized the tennis ball protest and launched the balls onto the pitch in the 20th minute with Ireland 1-0 up, according to The Independent.
Joanne Doyle, a 56-year-old primary school teacher, said she “strongly object[s] to these two games against Israel going ahead, because basically it is sports-washing a genocide, sports are political.”
Mark Coomey, a 26-year-old engineer, said “Ireland should not be playing ball with genocide. We’ve already played one game against genocidal Israel and crossed the Palestinian picket line.”
The Stop the Game campaign also gathered outside the stadium in Dublin, and it displayed a Palestinian flag and banners in support of Ireland player Gavin Bazunu.
The Football Association of Ireland moved the return leg to neutral ground in Serbia, after it deemed organizing the match at home too sensitive.
Next match, wider pressure
Ireland’s next UEFA Nations League fixture against Israel is scheduled for Sunday on neutral ground in Serbia, and the Football Association of Ireland deemed organizing the match at home too sensitive. The Stop the Game initiative issued an open letter to the squad and coach Heimir Hallgrimsson asking them not to play, and it also asked the Irish government and FAI to cancel the game. Gavin Bazunu decided to boycott both of his team’s matches against Israel, and he was back in the squad for Austria’s visit in Dublin.
The match in Hungary against Israel last Sunday ended 3-0, and the Irish players wore black armbands while the captains of both teams did not shake hands or exchange pennants before kick-off. Heimir Hallgrimsson’s comments came as the FAI chief executive David Courell said a “significant majority” of the squad agreed to play the game in Hungary, but the decision was far from unanimous.