Israeli footballers attacked in friendly when pro-Palestinians invade pitch as friendly descends to chaos

A Maccabi Haifa player is knocked down by a flying kick [courtesy]

An international friendly match in Austria descended into chaos after Israeli footballers were attacked by pro-Palestinians who invaded the pitch.

The protesters ran onto the pitch in the 84th minute of the Maccabi Haifa and Lille friendly, before they attacked the players of the 'Green Monkeys'.

Supporters, reportedly of Turkish origin, ran onto the pitch before a Haifa player is alleged to have tripped a fan, which sparked the ugly scenes.

The players, of whom some retaliated to the attacks, were able to leave the field of play unhurt. Head coach Aleksander Stanojevic also got involved in the fighting.

In a statement released to the Jerusalem Post, Haifa officials said: "Maccabi Haifa believes in co-existence, tolerance and is against violence.

"This didn't happen because of sport or football, it happened because we are a team which represents Israel."

The incident comes amid fears of anti-Semitism in Europe.

Banners, flags and signs from large portions of the crowd displayed calls for the liberation of Palestine.

Maccabi Haifa, of the Israeli Premier League, are already unable to host European games in their country due to UEFA regulations set in place due to continual violence.

The match was subsequently abandoned after the violence with Lille leading 2-0.