Around sixty people were arrested after several incidents on the sidelines of this meeting which was held in Amsterdam, and won by the Dutch 5-0. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced “a premeditated attack” against Israeli supporters.
Political reactions in France
Despite these clashes in the Netherlands, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau refused to relocate the meeting. “France is not backing down because that would amount to abdicating in the face of threats of violence and anti-Semitism,” he wrote on X on Friday.
“At my request, the prefect of police Laurent Nunez is making the necessary security arrangements for this match to take place at the Stade de France, as usual. “, he added
The RN deputy Julien Odoul notably proposed on Thursday to move the meeting to Corsica while, at the beginning of November, the Insoumis Louis Boyard requested its outright cancellation. “I want this match not to take place,” declared Louis Boyard, relaying a petition demanding the cancellation of this League of Nations meeting.
There is “no direct threat weighing on the France Israel match,” a police source confirmed to AFP on Thursday.
Which law enforcement agencies?
To avoid any overflow, security in and around the Stade de France and its 80,000 seats should be reinforced, with plainclothes police officers in the bays of the Dyonisian enclosure.
Twenty-six companies, or around 2,500 mobile gendarmes or police officers, should be requisitioned for this meeting and the hotel where the Israeli selection will stay will be under surveillance. CRS companies will also be distributed throughout the capital, another police source told AFP.
The first rows of the Stade de France, closest to the pitch, will not be occupied, to avoid any invasion of the pitch, said another police source. The Stade de France should not be full anyway, according to this same source.
“Stay a football match”
Playing this match in Saint-Denis, in very tight security conditions, “I don't know if it was the best solution”, declared coach Didier Deschamps, passing the ball back to his president Philippe Diallo.
“Is this good?” Isn't that good? What I can tell you is that it must remain a football match, without ignoring or ignoring a political and other context which is very tense,” commented Didier Deschamps. “I am not a party to this decision-making. That’s not my role.”
The Minister responsible for Europe Benjamin Haddad in any case urged on Friday to show “no weakness, no cowardice in the face of anti-Semitism” after the violence in Amsterdam.
Tifo « Free Palestine »
On Monday, around forty demonstrators from the “Stop Genocide” association entered the FFF premises to protest against the holding of this match and to demand that Israel be banned from competitions by Fifa.
