They decided to say no, “not to make this match a regular match”. This Thursday, in a press release published on their social networks, the managers of Kop Parisii, the official and ebullient club of Paris Basketball supporters, announced that they would boycott the visit of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv scheduled for January 16 at the Adidas Arena, located Porte de la Chapelle. “By decision of the office, the association will not be officially represented,” indicates the press release.
A choice motivated by the flammable and contagious geopolitical context in the Middle East which, since the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023 against Israel and the latter's aftershocks against the Gaza Strip and Lebanon in particular, has spread well beyond these borders and extends to sporting events in France where matches are now classified as “risky”.
“At present we do not know the security measures that will be taken for this match, nor even the number of Maccabi supporters who will travel to Paris,” the association specifies in the press release. However, and in the context that everyone knows, we decided with the office not to make this match a usual match and above all not to act as if nothing had happened. This is why, and exceptionally, we will not be hosting the KOP stand for this match. There will be no drums, no singing, no tarpaulins. »
Last December 18, the visit of Hapoël Holon to Nanterre in the Fiba Champions League (87-77) was punctuated by numerous incidents. The city of Nanterre initially issued a municipal decree for the meeting to take place behind closed doors. A decree contested by the Hauts-de-Seine prefecture and finally overturned by the administrative court of Cergy (Val-d'Oise).
The match was briefly interrupted following the intrusion of two pro-Palestinian activists onto the floor. Seven people were subsequently arrested for “disturbing the running of the competition” and “violence against a person holding public authority”.
By this decision the Kop Parisii intends not to “politicize” itself “nor create divisions in [ses] ranks,” he continues. “But there are things that go further than a simple basketball match… Our values and the values of humanism in general”, concludes the association which estimates that, with 200 members, its “voice carries”.
A conclusion which perhaps responds to information from the newspaper L'Équipe, which assured this Thursday morning that “around ten collectives and associations, unconditional supporters of Israel” had already purchased 1,500 tickets for the match to support the Maccabi Tel-Aviv, also nicknamed the “nation club” by its supporters. Raising fears that this meeting could turn into a political forum. When contacted, the Paris Basketball club did not wish to comment.
