Ireland v Austria Nations League match briefly halted by Stop the Game protesters

Thursday's Nations League Group B3 match between Ireland and Austria at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin was disrupted when tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch by people protesting against Ireland playing their fixtures against Israel. 1 Ireland were 1-0 up when the referee stopped play around the 20th minute (CNA), after 19 minutes (Arab News, Al Jazeera) or just before the 20th minute (Irish Independent); the balls bore Palestinian flags, and the Independent said they carried '#StopTheGame' stickers and came from the corner to the right of the Austria goal. CNA said they were thrown from behind both goals. 2 3 4 Arab News and Al Jazeera reported that referee Allard Lindhout sent the players for a hydration break and that play resumed after four minutes, whereas CNA said the players were sent for a cooling break and play resumed just over two minutes later. Arab News and Al Jazeera said Austria then took control until Troy Parrott scored a penalty to make it 2-0 before half-time. 4 2

Troy Parrott had opened the scoring in the 12th minute with an individual goal. 1 5 Parrott doubled the lead from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time, but Ireland lost the lead after the break as substitutes Alexander Prass and Michael Gregoritsch scored for Austria, and the game finished 2-2. The Irish Independent said the two goals came within five minutes, that Austria stay unbeaten and Ireland have four points from three games, and that Finn Azaz missed a late chance to win it. 2 6 Earlier, a man tried to run onto the field and was stopped by stewards; Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported he was carrying a Palestinian flag. A small group from the "Stop the Game" initiative gathered near the stadium with a Palestinian flag and banners backing goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, and the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign organised a protest outside the stadium and others around the country. 5

The Irish Independent put the man's run onto the pitch around the 35th minute, from the side opposite the balls, and said he was tackled by security and carried off. 3 Stop the Game issued a statement saying supporters took part in a "limited tennis ball protest" in the 19th minute; CNA said it came at half-time. It read: "The protest is now over. It was a token act, deliberately limited, but necessary and done in solidarity with Gavin Bazunu and the people of Palestine facing genocide." 3 2 Protests calling for a boycott of the Israel fixtures have run since the Nations League draw in February. Ireland won the first match, Israel's "home" game played in Debrecen, Hungary, 3-0 last Sunday, after players voted on Saturday to fulfil it. Arab News reported the vote was widely said to be 14-8 in favour, and that Irish players wore black armbands. 1 5

Reserve goalkeeper Bazunu withdrew from the squad on the eve of that game, having told the coach he wished to miss both Israel matches. He is back in the squad and on the bench against Austria but will not play in the return match against Israel. 1 5 The return match is due next Sunday in Backa Topola, Serbia, behind closed doors. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) moved it there; Arab News says the FAI cited "operational reasons" in June. 1 5 Stop the Game issued an open letter on Wednesday asking the squad and coach Heimir Hallgrimsson not to play, and has asked the Irish government and the FAI to cancel the game. The FAI has resisted boycott calls, arguing the team could face punishing UEFA sanctions. 5

FAI members voted in November for the board to ask UEFA to suspend Israel from European competitions, but a motion to proceed with the fixtures passed at a meeting in July. FAI chief executive David Courell said a "significant majority" of players voted to play. 1 5 Arab News added that Finn Azaz, whose mother has Israeli heritage, returned to the team, and that Irish fans threw similar tennis balls during a friendly against Qatar in Dublin in May. 5 CNA said the Qatar friendly in May was halted twice in the first half by a similar protest. The Irish Independent said UEFA's disciplinary body will assess reports from the match before deciding on any next steps, and that the tennis balls, though expected, did not land in the numbers anticipated. 2 3 7