The start of Scotland’s women’s Euro 2025 qualifier against Israel has been postponed after a protester chained herself to one of the goals at Hampden Park.
With hundreds of people gathered outside with Palestinian flags, the anti-Israel A protester entered the field at the Glasgow stadium before the pre-match anthems of the women’s teams.
The game was played behind closed doors after intelligence suggested protesters planned to disrupt the match in protest. Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza.
The man, wearing a T-shirt reading ‘Red Card for Israel’, stood leaning against the post and appeared to be using a thick bicycle lock to chain himself around his neck, which was difficult for police and ground staff to remove.
The match will be delayed by approximately 30 minutes. Photo: SNS Group
The game was scheduled to start at 7:05 pm, but was postponed for just over 30 minutes.
Both teams returned to the locker rooms during the interruption and came out for a second warm-up and start of the match as soon as the protester was removed.
The chain was a challenge for police to remove. Photo: SNS Group
Activists and charities, including Show Israel the Red Card and Scottish Friends of Palestine, held protests outside the site, where they called for an immediate ceasefire and held small replica coffins.
They also criticized the Scottish Football Association’s (SFA) decision to allow the game to go ahead and claimed it was an attempt to “sportswash” Israel.
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The SFA previously said it had “no other option” but to play without fans in attendance after receiving information about planned protests.
The return game will be played at the BSC Stadium, in Budapest, Hungary, next Tuesday, after being transferred from Israel due to the conflict.
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