Ireland v Austria halted twice after pro-Palestinian protests in Dublin | OneFootball

Ireland v Austria in the Nations League was halted twice at the Aviva Stadium after pro-Palestinian protests, the match finishing 2-2 on Thursday night.

According to L'Équipe, the demonstrations targeted the scheduled double-header with Israel. The first stoppage came in the 19th minute when tennis balls, covered with stickers in Palestinian flag colours, were thrown on to the pitch.

Players left the field for a few minutes before play resumed. In the 35th minute a man ran on to the pitch carrying a Palestinian flag, forcing a second interruption.

The incidents followed controversy around Ireland’s Nations League meeting with Israel on Sunday. After lengthy debate over a boycott in protest at the war in Gaza, the Irish players chose to play in Hungary in a near-empty stadium. They won 3-0, wore black armbands, and the captains did not exchange a handshake or pennants before kick-off.

The return fixture is scheduled for Sunday, again on neutral ground in Serbia, after the Irish federation judged hosting on the island too delicate.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”