Why Ireland vs Austria was interrupted: the Israel fixture protests explained

The Republic of Ireland’s Nations League match against Austria was interrupted twice at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on October 1 by Palestine-related protests. Campaigners were calling for Ireland’s October 4 fixture against Israel in Serbia to be cancelled.

Tennis balls bearing Palestinian flag stickers and the words ‘#StopTheGame’ landed on the pitch before a separate pitch invasion later in the first half. The demand to stop Sunday’s game comes after the Football Association of Ireland said on September 26 that the Israel fixtures would be fulfilled.

What stopped Ireland vs Austria?

According to RTÉ, tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch in the 19th minute, with play resuming in the 21st. Press Association reporting published by The Irish News placed the throws in the corner to the right of Austria’s goal.

Around the 35th minute, a person entered the field carrying what PA described as an apparent Palestinian flag. Security immediately tackled the person and carried them off. RTÉ also reported the pitch entry and flag; neither report established that the tennis-ball campaign organised this later incident.

Why protesters were targeting the Israel fixture

Austria was the opponent on the pitch, but the campaign’s demand concerned Ireland’s next match. RTÉ reported that a few hundred protesters gathered on the approach roads to the Aviva in opposition to Sunday’s Ireland–Israel fixture. That estimate described the gathering outside, rather than participation in either interruption.

Former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr stood with supporters of Stop the Game and the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Protesters held banners and flags opposing the fixture, and supporters were handed leaflets that folded out into Palestinian flags to display during the match.

Stop the Game called the tennis-ball action the ‘1948 Protest’, linking its name to the Nakba of 1948. In a statement reported by RTÉ, it described the action as a ‘symbolic act of solidarity with the Palestinian people’ and alleged that a process of dispossession, violence and genocide continued in Gaza.

The campaign said its action was ‘deliberately limited’ and had ended. Its statement said the protest was in solidarity with Gavin Bazunu and Palestinians. Those comments described the campaign’s own action and position; they did not establish who was responsible for the later pitch entry.

On September 30, Stop the Game sent an open letter asking the Ireland squad and manager Heimir Hallgrimsson not to play the Israel fixture. Campaigners also called on the Government and FAI to make that decision, asking them to take the burden off the players.

What the FAI has said about playing Israel

The FAI’s announced position before the Aviva protests was that the matches would proceed. Its September 26 statement said ‘the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel will be fulfilled’.

The association said it had consulted the Republic of Ireland players, who shared different views, and that a majority expressed the view that the fixtures should be played. It said it respected all players’ views and recognised the sensitivity surrounding the matches.

That statement predates the October 1 interruptions. PA said it had contacted the FAI and UEFA for comment on the incidents, but its report contained no response or disciplinary decision.

Why Ireland’s home game is being played in Serbia

The October 4 fixture is Ireland’s home match, but the FAI announced on June 29 that it would take place at TSC Arena in Bačka Topola, Serbia, behind closed doors. The venue change was therefore announced months before the Austria match protests.

The association cited operational challenges that could affect delivery of the game in Ireland and said UEFA had approved the move. It also promised to update 2026 season-ticket holders and Club Ireland members about compensation owed because of the relocation.

What remains unresolved after the Aviva protests

This was not the first tennis-ball protest over the Israel fixtures. RTÉ reported that Irish supporters used the same tactic during a friendly against Qatar in May, opposing those matches going ahead.

RTÉ’s October 1 report, updated at 9.01pm Irish time, still described Sunday’s match as forthcoming. Neither that report nor PA’s incident account established a cancellation, a disciplinary sanction or a new decision by football authorities following the interruptions.