DUBLIN: Irish fans disrupted a Euro 2020 qualifier against Georgia on Tuesday by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch in protest at chief executive John Delaney’s continued role in the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). Play was held up for three minutes late in the first half while Ireland waited to take a free kick deep in Georgian territory as stewards cleared dozens of tennis balls thrown on to the pitch by fans angry at the FAI for moving Delaney sideways into a new role. Conor Hourihane gave Ireland the lead in the Group D clash directly from the resulting free kick. The match finished 1-0. Delaney is due to appear before lawmakers on April 10 to explain a 100,000 euro (£85,385) personal loan, provided to the FAI two years ago to help his employer with what it called a short-term cash flow issue. Delaney’s loan to the FAI, which did not appear in the FAI’s audited accounts and prompted questions about the body’s financial position, has been a major news story since the Sunday Times first reported it 10 days ago.