Israel football dispute to ‘heat up’ after protest in Ireland-Qatar match

Ireland’s football match against Qatar was stalled by pro-Palestinian protests as pressure builds on upcoming games against Israel.

Republic of Ireland midfielder ‌Jamie McGrath has warned that the controversy surrounding Nations League games against Israel could intensify after their friendly win over Qatar in ⁠Dublin was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protests.

Ireland are set to host Israel at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on October 4, ⁠while a September 27 fixture designated as an Israel home match is expected to be staged at a neutral venue.

Qatar’s match against Ireland was part of their preparations for this summer’s World Cup, where they begin their campaign against Switzerland on June 13. Ireland failed to qualify for the event.

Earlier this month, leading Irish footballers joined with celebrities in a campaign ‌calling for a boycott of Israel’s matches, but Ireland’s governing body for football (FAI) has said it will go ahead with the fixtures and that a refusal to play could lead to disciplinary measures.

Tennis balls featuring the Palestinian flag were thrown on to the pitch in Thursday’s friendly, ⁠causing the match to be halted twice, ⁠and McGrath expected more protests to follow.

“I’m sure it’s going to heat up over the next few months. We (the players) don’t want to be put into ⁠a position,” he told the BBC’s Northern Ireland bureau after the match.

“It’s obviously a unique scenario. The people [protesters], we have to listen to them, they have the right to do what they do, as long as it’s done in a peaceful way, that’s all that matters.

“Hopefully, the powers above us can work something out or use it for the greater good, I’m not sure what the process will be as it heats up.

“At the end of the day, we’re footballers and we don’t want to be caught in this, but sometimes we might have to.”

In November last year, 93 percent of FAI members voted ‌for ‌its leadership to press UEFA to suspend the Israel Football Association from European competitions.

On Tuesday, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign held a protest at the Dail (Irish parliament).

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has also regularly weighed in on the debate and, ahead of the Qatar match, said his players must “win this war” against Israel in the upcoming matches.

McGrath was pressed further on the matter as to whether he believed a resolution would be found ahead of the matches.

“To be honest, I’ve no idea,” he replied.

“We obviously touched on it a few days, I’m sure as it heats up, it might be taken out of our hands, I’m not sure.”