“There is no one, it’s sad,” is how the French newspaper L’Equipe described the atmosphere before the start of the match between France and Israel in the European Nations League on Thursday.
Of the 80,000 seats available at the Stade de France, approximately 12 and 13,000 spectators attended, a small number that had never been achieved in Rooster matches.
The French TV5 channel website reported that the lowest crowd attendance in the history of this stadium for a football match was 36,842 spectators, during the confrontation between France and New Zealand in 2003.
Fans entered the Stade de France amid exceptional security measures following clashes with Israeli fans in Amsterdam last week.
Mathieu Magron, a fan of the French national team, expressed his regret before checking his ticket near the fenced area, saying, “It spoils the party a little because there will be about 15,000 people instead of 80,000, and there will not be much atmosphere.”
The French authorities deployed a total of 4,000 policemen and gendarmes around Saint-Denis Stadium, as well as on public transportation and throughout Paris.
Some social media sites circulated video clips claiming to be of Israeli fans inside the stadium assaulting supporters of the French national team.
Growing fears
Fears of violations increased after the events that followed the Europa League match between Ajax Amsterdam and the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 7 in the Dutch capital, as fans of the latter who carried out acts of sabotage were pursued and beaten in the streets, leading to the injury of… 20 and 30 people and sparked discontent in many Western capitals.
Last Sunday, Israel called on its fans to avoid heading to the Stade de France, but a police source reported that about “100 Israeli fans” would be present in the stadium.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told Radio France, “I tell them, of course, to come. All security conditions are guaranteed in transportation, at the entrance to the stadium, and during the match.”
On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar asked France to “ensure the safety of Israeli fans” during the match.
The authorities intend to ensure security at Jewish worship sites and social centers in Paris and its nearby suburbs, according to a memorandum from the Police Directorate seen by Agence France-Presse.
The Police Directorate also asked the security forces to enhance surveillance in locations that may witness “movements of (Israeli national team) fans.”
The authorities fear “gatherings of young people from nearby sensitive neighborhoods and committing misdemeanors against the public or disrupting public order.”
