Irish friendly is halted after pro-Palestine protest; look

Ireland and Qatar are facing each other this Thursday (28), in a friendly that takes place at the Aviva Stadium, in Dublin. Right at the beginning of the match, the duel was stopped due to the pro-Palestine protest carried out by European fans.

At the 11-minute mark, tennis balls with the Palestinian flag were thrown onto the field, forcing referee Jamie Robinson to momentarily halt play. The objects also carried the message "Stop The Game".

Tennis ball protest during Ireland Qatar and a Palestine flag being waved by the fans behind the goal. #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/6SmY59qVw4

- Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) May 28, 2026

Ireland vs Qatar is stopped as fans protest against the potential Ireland vs Israel games in support of Palestine

Security are clashing with the fans who are unfurling banners, flags and throwing tennis balls onto the pitch. pic.twitter.com/wYiliNxEFQ

- Ben Symes (@bensymes01) May 28, 2026

The phrase reinforces a request from Irish Sport for Palestine, which wants the country to boycott the clash against Israel, which takes place in September, valid for the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League. The institute sent a letter to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), accusing the Israelis of committing "genocide" in the war in Gaza and violating UEFA and FIFA statutes.

In November 2025, 93% of FAI members voted for the organization's management to pressure UEFA to suspend Israel based on these statutes. According to campaign organizers, Ireland should "respect and represent" this decision.

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Source: CNN