Scotland vs Israel Euro qualifier delayed as protester chains himself to goalpost

May 31, 2024

The start of Scotland’s women’s Euro 2025 qualifier against Israel was delayed after a protester chained himself to one of the goalposts at Hampden Park.

With hundreds gathered outside with Palestinian flags, the anti-Israel protester got on to the pitch at the Glasgow stadium prior to the women’s teams’ pre-match anthems.

The game was played behind closed doors after intelligence suggested demonstrators were planning to disrupt the match in protest at Israel’s ongoing Gaza offensive.

The man, wearing a ‘Red Card For Israel’ t-shirt, stood against the post and appeared to use a thick bicycle lock to chain himself around the neck, which was challenging for police and ground staff to remove.

The game had been scheduled to kick off at 7.05pm but was delayed by just over 30 minutes.

Both teams returned to the dressing rooms during the disruption and emerged for a second warm-up and kick-off once the protester had been removed.

Campaigners and charities including Show Israel the Red Card and Scottish Friends of Palestine held protests outside the ground, where they called for an immediate ceasefire and held small replica coffins.

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They have also criticised the Scottish Football Association (SFA)’s decision to allow the game to go ahead and claimed it was an attempt to “sportwash” Israel.

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The SFA previously said it had “no option” but to play the game without supporters present after receiving intelligence on the planned protests.

The return fixture will be played at the BSC Stadium in Budapest, Hungary, next Tuesday, having been moved out of Israel due to the conflict.

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