Ireland and Qatar halted twice by protests against upcoming Israel fixtures

Republic of Ireland are set to face Israel twice in UEFA Nations League matches, but are facing calls for a boycott.

The international football friendly between the Republic of Ireland and Qatar in Dublin was twice halted by home fan protests against their side’s upcoming fixtures against Israel.

The Irish are due to face Israel twice in the UEFA Nations League competition, but have faced strong backlash against the fixtures with calls for the games to be boycotted.

Tennis balls covered by images of the Palestinian flag were thrown onto the field of play after 10 and 20 minutes of Thursday’s match at Aviva Stadium in the Irish capital, causing play to be halted.

Qatar were playing the fixture as part of their preparation for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, for which the Irish failed to qualify.

On Wednesday, the Irish parliament – the Dail – saw new protests over the Israel fixtures, while the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) passed a motion in November requesting that UEFA immediately suspend Israel from international competition, but received no support from European football’s governing body.

In Wednesday’s pre-match news conference, ahead of the Qatar fixture, Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson challenged his players to “win this war” against Israel when asked about the Nations League encounters.

The Icelander has previously added his name to calls for Israel to be banned from international football, and added in the media briefing: “It’s an obstacle I don’t like, and it’s unfair for the players to be in this position and us to be in this position.”

“From a footballing perspective, I don’t like us to be the bad guys. We are not the bad guys here,” he said.

The first match between the sides will be played at a neutral venue between the sides on September 27, while the return encounter will be played in Dublin on October 4.

The Nations League acts as a standalone competition which progresses from group stages to knockouts and a final, but also doubles as part of a qualification opportunity for sides for UEFA and FIFA tournaments.

The FAI have said that both Israel matches will go ahead, while speaking in the build-up to the Qatar match, Ireland captain Nathan Collins said: “If individuals wanted to take a stand, we are not going to stand against them, we are not going to hold them back.”

The friendly match against Qatar ended in a 1-0 win for the Irish with Collins’s header settling the match.