The Nations League match between Israel and France will be played this Thursday evening on neutral ground, in Budapest, due to the war in Gaza and by decision of UEFA. It is also a sign of the support of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for the government of Benyamin Netanyahu.
Usually, the Israeli football federation hosts at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, at Teddy Stadium Jerusalem or at Sammy-Ofer Stadium in Haifa. But it is on the pitch of the Bozsik Arena in Budapest (Hungary) that the French men’s team faces Israel, this Thursday, October 10 for the third day of the Nations League. With reinforced security measures.
Since the Hamas attack against the Jewish state on October 7, 2023 and the vast counter-offensive subsequently carried out by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, UEFA has banned “until further notice” the organization of matches in Israel.
Already three stadiums visited
Initially, Israel had obtained the postponement of its matches, which counted for the Euro 2024 qualifiers. The matches in question were made up the following month.
Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, support of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, quickly agreed to host the Israeli team in all its matches supposed to be “at home”. Before the Bozsik Arena, two other stadiums were used for this purpose: the Ferenc-Szusza and the Pancho Arena.
Hungary also hosted Belgium-Israel
On September 6, Hungary also hosted the Belgium-Israel match, when the Red Devils were the home team. But for security reasons in relation to the geopolitical context, Belgium preferred to relocate the meeting to neutral ground behind closed doors. For the occasion, the host city was not Budapest but Debrecen with its Nagyerdei Stadion.
On November 14, France is due to host Israel for the return match of the Nations League group stage. The poster is planned at the Stade de France.
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