Maccabi friendly halted after pitch invasion

Video footage of the encounter in the Austrian city of Bischofshofen on YouTube appeared to show supporters waving the flag of Palestine running onto the playing surface.

Blogging the game on their official Twitter page, Lille confirmed that the action had been brought to a halt by the referee in the 86th minute due to an "invasion of the pitch."

Reports claimed that scuffles had occurred between the supporters and some players, although no injuries were thought to have been suffered.

Ligue 1 side Lille were leading the match 2-0 when the incident occurred.

The growing unrest in the Middle East has already had an impact on football in the region.

Last week, UEFA prohibited any of its competition matches from being held in Israel due to the current political situation, forcing Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Be'er Sheva to play their European home games at alternative venues.