scuffles between supporters in the stands of the Stade de France

In a Stade de France which sounds hollow, where only 12,000 to 25,000 spectators were present in the stands, clashes broke out between supporters. These are scattered throughout the stadium, some of them with Israeli flags.

After a very calm pre-match on the Saint-Denis side, with a strong police presence – 4000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed, incidents occurred during the first period. A crowd movement took place in the corner behind the goal of Mike Maignan, the French goalkeeper, with Israeli supporters in particular. Videos relayed on social networks show a crowd of dozens of supporters chasing a person, then hitting him once on the ground for long seconds. A scene which aroused the indignation of other spectators located in the lower ring of the Dyonisian enclosure.

The stewards intervened to calm things down, before setting up a security cordon in the middle of the stand. Calm returned afterwards, without the match being interrupted.

The meeting is under high tension, with an exceptional security system put in place in a tense climate after last week's violence on the sidelines of a Maccabi Tel-Aviv match in Amsterdam. The Israeli national anthem triggered a few scattered whistles from part of the public before the match kicked off.

Geopolitical context

The sporting stakes of this meeting in the Paris suburbs counting for the League of Nations are largely eclipsed by the geopolitical context. The first rows of seats are covered with a tarpaulin to prevent any intrusion and grilles have been erected above the advertising panels all around the pitch.

In the stadium, only French and Israeli flags are allowed, and Palestinian banners, as well as “messages of a political nature”will be banned, indicated Laurent Nuñez.

Israel called on its fans on Sunday to avoid going to the Stade de France. The head of Israeli diplomacy Gideon Saar asked the French authorities on Thursday evening to ensure “the safety of Israeli fans”. Led by an association for the defense of the Jewish community, more than 600 people went to the stadium early Thursday evening in around ten chartered buses and placed under high police security.