Ireland v Austria game briefly halted by Stop the Game protesters

DUBLIN, Oct 1 - Thursday's Nations League Group B3 match between Ireland and Austria was disrupted when tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch at the Aviva Stadium by those protesting against the Irish team fulfilling their fixtures against Israel.

Ireland were 1-0 up in front of a sell-out crowd when the referee suspended the match briefly in the 20th minute as tennis balls featuring the Palestinian flag were thrown onto the pitch.

Ireland are one of Europe's most outspoken critics of Israel's war in Gaza, and protests calling for the team to boycott the fixtures with Israel have been ongoing since February's Nations League draw pitted the two countries together.

Ireland keeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the squad on the eve of Sunday's 3-0 away win over Israel, played in Hungary, which went ahead after the players held two votes on Saturday, with a majority opting to fulfil the fixture.

Bazunu is back in the squad and on the bench for Thursday's game with Austria but will not take part in the home game against Israel, scheduled for next Sunday, which was moved by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to Serbia and will be played behind closed doors in Backa Topola.

Troy Parrott put Ireland ahead in the 12th minute, dancing through the Austrian defence and into the area before striking low into the far corner.

FAI members voted in November for its board to request that UEFA suspend Israel from European competitions, but a motion in favour of proceeding with the fixtures was passed at a meeting in July. REUTERS