Kick-off in Scotland’s Euro 2025 qualifier win over Israel was delayed by more than 30 minutes after a protester chained himself to the goalpost before kick-off. The man, wearing a “Red Card for Israel” shirt, was removed by police at 7.20pm and the match kicked off at 7.35pm.
Saturday, June 1, 2024 10:36 United Kingdom
Scotland’s Euro 2025 qualifier against Israel at Hampden Park was delayed by just over 30 minutes after protesters chained themselves to the goalposts before kick-off.
The incident occurred before the pregame national anthem, when a man appeared to have a chain around his neck that police had difficulty removing.
The man, who was wearing a “Red Card for Israel” shirt, was taken away by police at 7.20pm, 15 minutes after the match was scheduled to start.
Police Scotland later confirmed: “A 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged following an incident on the pitch before kick-off and a report will be made to the prosecutor.”
Players from both teams returned to their dressing rooms during the disturbance, but protests continued outside the stadium.
The match kicked off at 7.35pm and saw Scotland defeat Israel 4-1 to boost their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2025.
The match was played behind closed doors after the stadium’s operations team was “alert to potential planned disruptions to the match”.
UEFA had ordered the match to go ahead despite expectations that protesters would gather and call for Israel to be banned from international football as Israel and Hamas continue their war.
Activists and charities including Show Israel the Red Card and Scottish Friends of Palestine held a protest outside the stadium on Friday calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Before the match started, Israeli players held up “Bring Them Home” shirts bearing a picture of Naama Levi, an Israeli hostage taken by Hamas on October 7.
Image: Israeli players hold up “Bring them home” T-shirts bearing a picture of hostage Naama Levi.
The Scottish Football Association announced earlier this month that the decision to play the matches behind closed doors had been made after “extensive safety consultations”, and police said plans were in place to “maintain public safety and minimise disruption to local communities”.
Tuesday’s second match against Israel has been moved to the BSC Stadium in Budapest, Hungary.
