Protester ties himself to goalpost to delay Scotland-Israel women’s football match – Digital Journal

Delay: A demonstrator wearing a T-shirt with the slogan ‘Red card for Israel’ chained himself to a goalpost prior to the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 qualifier between Scotland and Israel in Glasgow – Copyright AFP ANDY BUCHANAN

Kick-off in Scotland’s Women’s Euro 2025 qualifier with Israel in Glasgow on Friday was delayed for over half an hour after a demonstrator avoided security at Hampden Park and chained himself to a goalpost.

Both Friday’s fixture in Glasgow and the ‘return’ match in Hungary on June 4 are meant to be taking place behind closed doors, without any spectators.

That decision was taken against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. 

But on Friday, as pro-Palestinian protests took place outside Scotland’s national stadium, it emerged just before the scheduled kick-off time of 1805 GMT that somebody had managed to access the arena and chain themselves to one of Hampden’s goalpost.

The protester, wearing a ‘Red Card For Israel’ T-shirt, was eventually removed before the teams emerged for a second warm-up, with the game eventually kicking-off at 1836 GMT.

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,284 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.