{"id":2012,"date":"2026-05-29T12:06:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T12:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2012"},"modified":"2026-05-29T12:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T12:06:49","slug":"irelands-soccer-coach-says-pro-palestinian-tennis-ball-protest-kills-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2012","title":{"rendered":"Ireland’s soccer coach says pro-Palestinian tennis ball protest ‘kills the game’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Ireland\u2019s Seamus Coleman walks as tennis balls are thrown on to the pitch during the international friendly soccer match between Ireland and Qatar in Dublin, Ireland, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/ Peter Morrison)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

DUBLIN \u2014 Ireland fans throwing tennis balls onto the pitch in a pro-Palestinian protest \u201ckills the game,\u201d national team coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said.<\/p>

Read more Who remains in contention after Jannik Sinner\u2019s surprise French Open exit?<\/a><\/p>\n

Irish activists who want the country\u2019s soccer federation to boycott Nations League games against Israel<\/a> interrupted Ireland\u2019s match against Qatar on Thursday by hurling tennis balls onto the field in the first half at Aviva Stadium.<\/p>\n

Hallgrimsson said \u201ceverybody has a right to protest\u201d but that there\u2019s a downside, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just kills the game,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they want to destroy the game for us, then so be it. Obviously, it\u2019s not fun to see, especially for us who are trying to think about the football side.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Icelandic coach reiterated that he opposes a boycott, arguing that from a sporting perspective it would only hurt Ireland and elevate Israel.<\/p>\n

Ireland is scheduled to face Israel in an away game on Sept. 27 and at home on Oct. 4. Ireland\u2019s soccer federation, the FAI, has said it would face \u201cserious consequences\u201d from governing body UEFA if it refused to play the games.<\/p>\n

Banners at Thursday\u2019s match read \u201cstop the game\u201d and the tennis balls featured the Palestinian flag \u2014 all in protest of Israel\u2019s military action in Gaza<\/a> . The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by the militant group\u2019s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

Ireland won the friendly game 1-0. Qatar used the match as a warmup to its World Cup<\/a> campaign. The Irish failed to qualify for the tournament.<\/p>

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Last October, Norway\u2019s soccer federation pledged to donate any profits<\/a> from its World Cup qualifying game against Israel to aid work in Gaza, saying it \u201ccannot remain indifferent\u201d to humanitarian suffering.<\/p>\n

In the buildup to Thursday\u2019s game, Hallgrimsson said the political debate is \u201cunfair for the players.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not the bad guys here. We just want to perform, we want to play,\u201d he said. \u201cThe players would like to perform for the country and do well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Israel Football Association told The Associated Press in a statement Friday: \u201cWe are not really interested in the hypocritical and biased debate that is taking place in Ireland between groups that are hostile or much more hostile to the idea called the state of Israel. Even if there are those among them who tell themselves a different story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are dealing solely with the Irish Association, we really don\u2019t care about anything else. Everyone can stop contacting us with questions about the two matches \u2014 we will come. And of course try our best to win. What the other side decides is less of a concern to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ireland and Britain are co-hosting the 2028 European Championship<\/a> . Nations League performance plays a role in Euro qualification process.<\/p>

Read more FBI interviews election workers in a swing state amid Trump\u2019s false 2020 claims<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ireland national team soccer coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said the throwing of tennis balls onto the pitch by fans in a pro-Palestinian protest \u201ckills the game.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nIreland's soccer coach says pro-Palestinian tennis ball protest 'kills the game' - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2012\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ireland's soccer coach says pro-Palestinian tennis ball protest 'kills the game' - 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