Relocated to Hungary, like all matches of the Israeli football selection, this Nations League match takes place in a context of escalating violence between the Hebrew State, Hamas and Hezbollah.
The meeting between Israel and France, this Thursday, October 10 in the League of Nations (8:45 p.m.), will necessarily be played in a particular atmosphere and context. Due to the war in the Middle East, the Israelis’ “home” meetings were relocated to Budapest, in a country led by Viktor Orban, an outspoken supporter of the Jewish state, where the risk of public unrest linked to the situation drama in the Middle East is very weak.
The Hungarian authorities nevertheless classified this meeting as a “high risk” match, three days after the commemorations of the October 7 attacks in Israel.
Security bubble
A security bubble was thus set up around the Israeli team, with a support system provided by the Tel Aviv authorities, like what was done during the Olympic Games in Paris.
For its part, the French team reached the Hungarian capital this Wednesday, October 9. Only around a hundred Blue supporters are expected at the Bozsik Arena (8,200 seats) in this troubled context. The Israeli federation has kept control of the ticketing, open for three weeks, and several checks are necessary before the meeting. A ticket buyer must enter their full contact details and attach a photocopy of the passport or identity card.
Reinforced checks on supporters
Checks to verify the identity of ticket holders will be carried out at the entrance to the stadium. A video silently featuring the Israeli selection, and which calls for the release of hostages still held by Hamas, was also slipped into the documents sent to French supporters regarding the formalities to be completed.
Konaté: “What we see is abominable”
On the players’ side, we recognize that it cannot be a match like any other. French international Ibrahima Konaté thus took a position on Tuesday in Clairefontaine affirming that “What we see on social media is abominable.”
“Fighting terrorism is one thing, but the civilians who are killed en masse, that hurts me, continued the Liverpool defender. All the civilian people who have nothing to do with this and who are killed en masse… We must not neglect everything that is happening. We simply want peace in the world and I speak on behalf of everyone here. If we can help through our behavior, our words, our kindness… Beyond religion, conflicts, we are human beings… If only we could remember that.”
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