Fans were furious after Irish footballers walked out to the British national anthem God Save The King in a European qualifying match.
The song was played before Ireland’s under 19s faced Sweden in an important qualifying match for the Women’s U19 European Championships.
The two teams lined up on the pitch, ready to observe the two national anthems before the unmistakable sound of the British anthem began being blasted from the speakers.
Fans began jeering and shouting in fury upon hearing the anthem instead of their own anthem of Amhrán na bhFiann.
The confused Irish players turned to face match officials, before the song eventually stopped.
It turned out to be an unlucky charm for the Irish team who went on to lose in a 3-1 defeat.
Ella Lundin scored twice to put Sweden 2-0 up before Ireland’s Katie Lawlee pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute.
However a late goal by Agnes Ekberg sealed the victory for the Swedes.
The Irish players looked around in confusion after match officials played the British national anthem
The Irish team will face Poland on Saturday before meeting Bulgaria on Tuesday as they continue to play for a place in the second qualifying round.
A similar occurrence took place at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022, when match officials played the wrong national anthem twice for Mauritania.
Following a problem with the stadium’s sound system ahead of the game against Gambia, the Mauritania players were asked to sing the anthem without music.
The Mauritania players were furious at the situation, with the confusion persisting for several minutes.
