Protesters throw tennis balls, call on Ireland to boycott 2nd match against Israel

Protesters against Ireland playing its Nations League games against Israel gathered before the team's match against Austria in Dublin. They threw tennis balls bearing the Palestinian flag onto the pitch, prompting a timeout. When the match resumed, a man with a Palestinian flag ran onto the pitch.

The protest was against Ireland's games against Israel due to Israel's actions in Gaza. Liam Scales, who had previously expressed his feelings about the fixture and supported goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, started for Ireland against Austria after sitting out the previous game against Israel.

Ireland drew 2-2 with Austria, with Scales being substituted off after the hour mark. It is unclear if he will be involved in Sunday's return leg against Israel in Serbia. Some Irish players, including Adam Idah, were allegedly subjected to taunts from Israel supporters, with Idah reportedly being racially abused.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Times of Israel, Yahoo Sports, Winnipeg Free Press — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.