VIDEO. The national teams of Poland and Israel violated the UEFA ban and held a minute of silence

Yesterday, the UEFA Under-21 European Championship 2025 qualifying match, where the Polish national team visited Israel, took place.

Ahead of the match, UEFA prohibited a minute's silence in remembrance of the victims of the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East. However, this did not deter the players.

The visiting team kicked off from the center of the field and promptly halted the game, with all players staying in their positions, thus observing a minute's silence in defiance of UEFA's directives and in accordance with football regulations.

It's essential to note that the Polish team supported their opponents by likewise refraining from moving after the referee's whistle, and only resumed play once their counterparts recommenced. It became evident that the agreement among players for this gesture had been coordinated before the game commenced.

The situation in the Middle East escalated sharply after militants from the Palestinian radical movement Hamas breached from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7, resulting in the killing of civilians in border Israeli settlements and the seizure of over 200 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly.

The match concluded with a score of 2-1 in favor of the Polish national team, with all goals scored during the second half. Israel's team was forced to postpone games against Estonia and Germany. After five rounds, the Polish team has played four matches, securing victory in all and currently leads Group D. The Israeli team has played only two games, losing both, and currently occupies the last position in the group.