Israel hold unauthorised minute’s silence

Israel and Poland’s Under-21 players held their own unauthorised minute’s silence immediately after kick-off yesterday for the victims of the 7 October Hamas attacks. The gesture in Lodz came after Uefa failed to sanction a period of remembrance before the game for those affected in last month’s attacks. Both sets of players stood in silence after the referee blew his whistle to start the game and no action took place for the opening minute. The players remained in their formational positions rather than congregating for traditional pre-match tributes and there was silence in the stadium. The qualifier for the European Under-21 Championship in 2025 ended 2-1 to Poland.