Protesters gather in Ballsbridge ahead of Austria game

A small group of protesters from the Stop the Game campaign have gathered in Ballsbridge ahead of the Ireland Austria game in the Aviva Stadium this evening.

A larger protest, organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign is due to take place outside the stadium just over an hour before kick-off.

Protesters say they are planning to line the footpaths of the streets leading to the Aviva with people and large banners, as fans arrive for the Nations League fixture.

The groups say the protest, which is starting at the junction of Lansdowne Rd, Northumberland Road and Pembroke Road around 6.30pm will call for this Sunday's game between Ireland and Israel in Serbia not to go ahead.

Yesterday, the Stop the Game campaign sent an open letter to the Republic of Ireland squad and their manager Heimir Hallgrimsson not to play the home game that was moved abroad and is being played behind closed doors.

They have also called on the Government and FAI to take the burden off the players by making the decision not to fulfil the fixture.

There is a visible garda presence around the stadium this afternoon and officials in the Aviva are also preparing for the possibility of protests inside the stadium during tonight's game which kicks off at 7.45pm.

In May, Irish fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch during a friendly against Qatar in protest against the games against Israel going ahead.