Ireland national team match halted due to pro-Palestinian protest

The football match between Ireland and Austria was halted this evening (Thursday) for several minutes after tennis balls with Palestinian flag stickers were thrown from the stands onto the pitch. The referee stopped the game and the players left the field until the balls were cleared. The incident comes days after the controversy surrounding Ireland's match against Israel.

The football match between Ireland and Austria was halted this evening (Thursday) for several minutes due to a pro-Palestinian protest in the stands. Around the 20th minute of the match, tennis balls with Palestinian flag stickers were thrown onto the pitch under the slogan "Stop The Game". The referee stopped the game and the players left the field until the grass was cleared and the balls removed, after which the match resumed. The incident comes just days after the major controversy surrounding the meeting between Ireland and Israel, before which it was reported that some Irish national team players objected to playing against Israel and even considered not participating. Now, also in the match against Austria, tensions over the Palestinian issue again reached the stands and led to a stoppage of play.