how the Football match turned into a political confrontation

POLICY – “Do not politicize sport”, and at the same time… The France-Israel match which will be played this Thursday, November 14 at the Stade de France cannot be considered as a simple sporting event. Both in the context of the recent clashes in Amsterdam and in view of the extraordinary security arrangements and the number of political leaders who will attend the meeting, including the President of the Republic.

The Minister of Sports Gil Avérous assured on CNews on the eve of the meeting that it was “above all a sporting event”the message is difficult to hear. It must be said that on a sporting level, the stakes for the Blues are low: after their large victory (4-1) during the first leg in Hungary, a simple draw against a nation which only appears in 81st place in the Fifa rankings will ensure their qualification for the quarter-finals of the Nations League. Proof of this low interest? The number of places sold – 25,000 as of Wednesday morning, according to the Minister of Sports, a little less according to the press – which raises fears of a new record for the lowest attendance recorded by the Blues at the Stade de France.

Conversely, the stands will be full of political figures. The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron and his Prime Minister Michel Barnier, the two former heads of state Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande and the president of the Île-de-France region Valérie Pécresse have announced their presence. Because there is much more at stake than qualification for the rest of the latest competition invented by UEFA.

« Football has always been on the side of the underdog »

The match between the Blues and the Israeli national team has indeed been on people's minds for several weeks. From mid-October, France Insoumise, through the voice of the deputy Louis Boyard, demanded its cancellation. Main reason given: the need for France to mark its opposition to the strategy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which La France insoumise continues to denounce. “Faced with the genocide in Gaza, the Blues must not welcome Israel to the Stade de France”wrote the deputy for Val-de-Marne on X.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon's movement is not the only one to take advantage of the meeting to assert its position. At the National Rally, it is a question of continuing the rehabilitation of the party founded among others by former collaborators with the Jewish populations. This is evidenced by the request of Yonne MP Julien Odoul to organize the meeting in Corsica, “a land where there is no anti-Semitism, no pro-Hamas provocations, where security is assured” . And, he added on RMC on November 7, “a land that has a special bond with our compatriots of the Jewish faith. » A reference to the history of Corsica, a department where no Jews were arrested or deported during the Shoah.

These requests could have remained a dead letter, the Paris police prefect Laurent Nunez having cut short the debates on a possible relocation and a closed session from mid-October. But that was before the night of November 7 to 8 and the violence that occurred on the sidelines of the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

A question of principle and of national unity »

Sunday November 10, the Élysée announces the presence of Emmanuel Macron at the meeting. If the President of the Republic is keen on football and attends certain Blues matches every year, his arrival for a match with no real sporting stakes is surprising. To AFP, his entourage assumes the link with the incidents in Amsterdam: the trip was not planned, but Emmanuel Macron wants “send a message of fraternity and solidarity after intolerable anti-Semitic acts” in the Netherlands, it is reported.

Ditto for his two predecessors Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande. Near the Parisianthe entourage of the former socialist leader lets it be known that he has canceled “a long-planned commitment” to free yourself. “The president is fully aware of the dimension that the match takes in terms of what is at stake. A symbol which embodies the fight against anti-Semitism for which he is and will always be committed”explains his office to our colleagues. An identical argument put forward by Nicolas Sarkozy.

Despite this assumed symbolism surrounding their arrival, Minister Gil Avérous nevertheless sticks to his argument and assures him: “the presence of the former presidents of the Republic demonstrates that above all, we are going to support our French team which has a sporting challenge”. Quite simply, he adds, is it a matter of “also demonstrate that in France, there is a national unity and that we do not allow ourselves to be intimidated by pressure groups. » His Interior colleague Bruno Retailleau made maintaining the match at the Stade de France a question of principle and “republican order”. « Keeping the match on site means demonstrating to those who want to scare the population, who want to lead a fight against a category of the population, that the French state will oppose them with determination. agrees Gil Avérous. A pure and simple attack on the National Rally and La France insoumise. One more action, too, to take place away from the field.

Also see on The HuffPost: