Belgium was unable to face Israel at home, the fault of a security threat weighing on the match and cities wishing to take neither the risk nor the responsibility of organizing the match in the current geopolitical context. France-Israel experiences the same concerns.
Playing a home match… on neutral ground: Belgium-Israel was a great first for the Belgian federation. The geopolitical context and security threats, particularly after the terrorist attack in Belgium-Sweden, had made the cities likely to host the match particularly cautious.
The match finally took place in Debrecen (3-1), in Hungary, where Israel also plays most of its home matches for both teams and clubs. The return match, Israel-Belgium, should be held in Budapest.
France-Israel also poses a problem
For our French neighbors, the France-Israel organization also raises questions. Initially, this poster, planned for the 5th day of the Nations League, was to take place at the Stade de France, the “home” of the Blues in Paris.
But Ouest-France specifies this weekend that the match could well finally take place at the Parc des Princes, the PSG stadium. A decision which would be taken for security reasons: the French authorities believe that the district where the Parc des Princes is located, the Porte de Saint-Cloud, is less likely to be the scene of anti-Israeli demonstrations.
The Park is also smaller (47,000 places instead of 80,000), which would make the task easier for the authorities. Reinforced security is expected for the occasion. No relocation is therefore planned, unlike Belgium-Israel.
