Usually, a football match is preceded by the announcement of the team compositions. This time, it is through that of the police system. This Thursday, November 14, while Gaza continues to suffer Israeli strikes, the French team must face the Israeli selection in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis).
A match identified for a long time by the authorities as particularly “at risk”. And even more so since the outbreak of violence which shook Amsterdam last Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv. “There will be a system around the stadium which will be extremely substantial”announced the Paris police prefect, Laurent Nuñez.
In total, 4,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilized, “compared to 1,200-1,300 for French team matches when we are in a sold-out stadium”. Furthermore, nearly 1,600 security agents will be mobilized around the compound. And the Raid, an elite unit of the national police, will be responsible for the security of the visiting team in cooperation with the Israeli authorities.
For spectators, the constraints will be numerous, with largely reinforced controls: “There will be a security system around the stadium with double control: at the entrance to the protection perimeter which is manned by the police and at the entrance to the stadium. With, each time, a concordance check (and) systematically, search and palpation”explains the prefect.
Belgium
