Disappointment and dismay for stadium security at the Luxembourg-Ireland football match
- LMP
- Jun 16
- 2 min read

It was with great dismay and disappointment that I attended the Ireland-Luxembourg match last night at Stade de Luxembourg. I have loved football all my life, and as a resident of Luxembourg I have over the last two years attended matches and supported the team wholeheartedly. Having bought my tickets on May 16, two weeks before Luxembourg courts would uphold the suspended sentence of footballer Gerson Rodrigues for domestic violence, it was only with sport in mind that I first chose to attend; what would follow changed the face of the event entirely.
Following last week’s Luxembourg -Slovenia match that resulted in the injury of one individual and the intimidation of many more, I had been looking forward to a peaceful right to demonstrate and to protest at the Luxembourg-Ireland match. Various activist and political groups had come together, sharing instructions to bring a red A5 paper – a red card against the Luxembourg Football Federation, against the team for selecting Rodrigues in their starting lineup, and against the player himself, for his acts of violence against women.
Horrified to hear of how violently and badly the protestors had been treated in the previous match, I took it for granted that this time, no such incident would occur. And while there was no physical violence as far as I could see, the intimidating act of confiscating personal property – in this case slips of red paper to represent a red card – took place immediately upon encountering security guards while trying to enter the stadium.
While different groups of protestors, including away fans waving both Irish flags and red cards as well as local activists, organisations, and political parties successfully demonstrated during the match, the bitter taste of our symbolic red cards being snatched away remains.
Two women I met with after the match who also had their cards confiscated and demanded an explanation were told by security that there was no need to protest because, after all, “nobody died.”
This callous and thoughtless reference to the trauma, violence, and death that many women endure and have succumbed to at the hands of their abusers cannot and should not be tolerated.
Why has room been made for such ugliness in the beautiful game?
I moved to Luxembourg two years ago and have been inspired by how free and fair a society it is. That facade was shattered yesterday when I was made to surrender the small red card I had in my bag. A free and fair society does not fear a simple piece of paper; it encourages democracy and protest, especially that of such a non-violent and non-intrusive nature.
I have been proud to be a resident of Luxembourg and a supporter of the national football team. Today, I find myself ashamed and disappointed – the ones meant to protect us have harmed us, and when given a second chance, held us back from our democratic right to protest, to speak out against violence, and to come together to question placing a convicted abuser on the great pedestal that is national sport.
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