All the football enthusiasts and fans are aware of the fact that the Euro 2020 qualifiers are going on right now. However, according to Virgin Games, the qualifier match that was held on Tuesday. The fans of the game that was present in the match on Tuesday during the qualifier started throwing tennis balls on the pitch.
The reason for this unique protest was stated to be the ex-chief executive John Delaney and him remaining at the FAI. He was supposed to step down from the position and assume some other role. However, things did not go this way and he was still at the position of the chief executive. This is what angered the fans and they decided to protest and raise their voice against this.
The match that was going on in the qualifier on Tuesday was between the teams of Republic of Ireland’s and Georgia. The match was very tense as both the teams were playing neck to neck against one another to secure the position in the playing teams after being successful in the qualifier matches. The venue of the match was Aviva Stadium. The match was entering its most critical and decisive phase when suddenly a lot of tennis balls made their way into the pitch. This incident took place during the 33rd minute of the match.
It seems like the audience had planned this protest in advance. Because at least a dozen tennis balls were reported to be thrown at the pitch. Upon seeing the situation the matched was stopped and appropriate measures were taken to ensure that the situation could be handled and dealt with properly.
Things went back to normal after nearly four minutes. It was pretty evident that the spectators are not happy about the fact that John Delaney still assumed the office of the chief executive. To record their protest and openly address their feelings and sentiments on this matter, some fans also carried posters and displays that demanded that John Delaney must be taken out of the position he is at with immediate effect.
The news of any such protest or action from the spectators had been in the air. There were many speculations and rumours that indicated that something like this might happen at the match. However, the Ireland manager, Mick McCarthy, addressed the speculations and respectfully urged that the audience kept away from any such actions and acted in a polite and dignified manner. As it turns out, his request did no good as the spectators did seize the opportunity and took the chance to express their opinion on the matter.
Soon after the incident was reported and confirmed, the game’s European governing body took charge. A statement was issued which clearly confirmed that disciplinary action is now to be taken against football association of Ireland on account of this incident. It is an obvious fact that the Irish football association is in deep trouble as a committee is now being managed to oversee the situation and suggest necessary action.
