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Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has criticised pro-Palestinian protests that saw tennis balls thrown onto the pitch during Thursday’s match against Qatar, stating such actions “kill the game”.
Activists advocating for the Irish football federation to boycott upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel disrupted Ireland’s friendly against Qatar on Thursday at Aviva Stadium.
While acknowledging “everybody has a right to protest”, Hallgrimsson lamented the disruption, saying: “It just kills the game. If they want to destroy the game for us, then so be it. Obviously, it’s not fun to see, especially for us who are trying to think about the football side.”
The protests come ahead of Ireland’s scheduled Nations League matches against Israel, an away game on 27 September and a home fixture on 4 October.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has previously warned of “serious consequences” from Uefa if it were to refuse to play these games.
Ireland are facing pressure to boycott matches against Israel later this year (Reuters)
The Icelandic coach has consistently opposed a boycott, arguing that from a sporting perspective, it would only disadvantage Ireland and benefit Israel.
During Thursday’s match, banners displayed messages such as “stop the game”, and the tennis balls hurled onto the field were adorned with the Palestinian flag.
These actions were a direct protest against Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which followed the 7 October 2023 attack by the militant group Hamas.
Despite the interruptions, Ireland secured a 1-0 victory in the friendly, which Qatar used as preparation for its World Cup campaign, a tournament for which Ireland failed to qualify.
In the lead-up to the game, Hallgrimsson expressed concern for his players, stating the political debate was “unfair for the players.” He added: “We’re not the bad guys here. We just want to perform, we want to play. The players would like to perform for the country and do well.”
The Israel Football Association issued a robust response on Friday, telling The Associated Press: “We are not really interested in the hypocritical and biased debate that is taking place in Ireland between groups that are hostile or much more hostile to the idea called the state of Israel.
“Even if there are those among them who tell themselves a different story. We are dealing solely with the Irish Association, we really don’t care about anything else. Everyone can stop contacting us with questions about the two matches — we will come. And of course try our best to win. What the other side decides is less of a concern to us.”
The incident echoes a similar move last October when Norway’s football federation pledged to donate profits from its World Cup qualifier against Israel to aid work in Gaza, citing an inability to “remain indifferent” to humanitarian suffering.
With Ireland co-hosting the 2028 European Championship alongside Britain, Nations League performance holds significance for Euro qualification.
