before France-Israel, spectators’ concerns for this “very political” match

A stadium that risks ringing hollow. A little more than 20,000 spectators – out of a possible 80,000 – are expected on Thursday November 14 in the stands of the Stade de France for the France-Israel match according to the French Football Federation, in a tense security context, after the violence occurred in Amsterdam following the match between Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Ajax.

The meeting is “now a very political sporting event. Is the Republic capable of standing up to those who want to push it back? Are we collectively capable of organizing a simple football match when it is threatened by anti-Semites and hate mongers?“, asks Yonathan Arfi on franceinfo.

The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) confides that ‘There is a certain concern about a match of this importance on the security level obviously, a bit like before the Olympics, there was a lot of fear with the arrival of the Israeli delegation“. A double security perimeter will be set up around the stadium, 4,000 police officers will be mobilized, some of them inside the Stade de France, as well as 1,600 security agents.

It is therefore a dilemma for the supporters of one side or the other: between those who have given up for fear of violent outbursts or aggression and those who will go anyway, reassured or not by the police or for political reasons.

As soon as she saw the images of violence against Israeli supporters in Amsterdam, Philippe’s wife begged him to give up going to the Stade de France. “I’m not going to this match, he assures. They will ensure security around the stadium. And then what happens? Who will ensure my safety if I’m with friends who have an Israeli flag on the subway? There, you have to look twice and be very careful.”.

Julien also made the decision to follow the France-Israel match on television: “I had planned to go there with friends. We were happy to meet up as usual at the Stade de France where we enjoy following the French team, supporting them”.

“There, I feel that I am not going to experience emotion but rather tension.”

Julien, supporter of the Blues

at franceinfo

The context also worries Barbara but this Frenchwoman of Jewish faith, originally from Marseille, will go anyway. “I hadn’t planned to go. For me, it has a bit of a symbolic significance to say: ‘I will not let my guard down against anti-Jewish hatred'”estimates the young woman.

Barbara will go to the match with the DDF, an association for the defense of the French Jewish diaspora born after October 7, criticized by some on social networks. One of its co-founders Patrick Bensimon welcomes the imposing security system. Despite everything, “There is still transport which poses a problem to go to the Stade de France. So far we have 500 people, 10 buses which will leave from the west of Paris. We will be accompanied by the national police, bikers and also a service called the SPCJ (Jewish Community Protection Service) which is a service dedicated to the Jewish community..

For its part, the “No Silence” association claims to transport 300 people. It is a political approach for its president, Mélanie Pauli-Geysse: “Sport today participates in the Zionist movement and defense of the State of Israel”.

“We decided to mobilize and defend Israel through sport, given that on the other side, we had people who wanted to destroy Jews.”

Mélanie Pauli-Geysse, from the “No Silence” association

at franceinfo

Forgetting politics is what Joseph Delage, member of the office of the Blues supporters association, “les Irrésistibles”, hopes. “Notre association is apolitical, he explains. It’s the return of the Blues to the Stade de France: I’ve been impatiently waiting for that for almost a year and a half. We’re just here to support the Blues and have a good time with supporters.”.

The association carried out a survey to which nearly 500 members out of 2,500 in total responded, and 15% were in favor of a boycott of the France-Israel match in support of Gaza.