Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has criticised the pro-Palestinian protests that saw tennis balls thrown onto the pitch during Thursday's friendly against Qatar, stating such actions "kill the game."
Disruption at Aviva Stadium
Activists advocating for the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to boycott upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel disrupted the match at Aviva Stadium. Fans threw tennis balls adorned with the Palestinian flag onto the pitch and displayed banners reading "stop the game." While acknowledging that "everybody has a right to protest," Hallgrimsson lamented the disruption: "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."
Boycott debate intensifies
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 FAI has previously warned of "serious consequences" from UEFA if it were to refuse to play these games. The Icelandic coach has consistently opposed a boycott, arguing that from a sporting perspective, it would only disadvantage Ireland and benefit Israel.
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."
Israel responds
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.
