Scotland vs Israel Euro 2025 qualifier delayed after protester chains himself to goalpost

Scotland’s Euro 2025 qualifier win over Israel at Hampden Park was delayed for just over 30 minutes after a protester chained themselves to a goalpost before kick-off.

The incident took place prior to the pre-match national anthems where a man appeared to have put the chain around his neck making removing it challenging for the police.

The individual – who was wearing a ‘Red Card for Israel’ shirt – was removed by police at 7.20pm, 15 minutes after the scheduled kick-off time.

Both sets of players had returned to the changing rooms during the disruption, while protests continued outside the stadium.

The match kicked off at 7.35pm as Scotland went on to defeat Israel 4-1 to boost their Euro 2025 qualification hopes.

The match was being played behind closed doors after the stadium’s operations team were “alerted to the potential for planned disruptions to the match”.

UEFA had ordered the game to go ahead despite protesters expected to gather and call for Israel to be expelled from international football amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Campaigners 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 kick-off, the Israel players held up a ‘Bring Them Home’ shirt with a picture of Israeli hostage Naama Levy on it after she was taken by Hamas on October 7.

Earlier this month the Scottish FA said it made the decision to play without fans following “extensive security consultations”, while police said that plans were in place to “maintain public safety and minimise any disruption to the community”.

The return fixture against Israel on Tuesday has been moved to the BSC Stadium in Budapest, Hungary.