VIDEOS. France-Israel: fights between supporters break out in the stands from the first minutes of the match

In a stadium that rings hollow, the France-Israel football match kicked off this Thursday, November 14 at the Stade de France, where an exceptional security system was put in place in a tense climate after the violence of the last week on the sidelines of a Maccabi Tel-Aviv match in Amsterdam. Fans of the visiting team were scattered throughout the stadium, with Israeli flags. Their national anthem triggered a few scattered whistles from part of the audience. And the first fights broke out in the first half. Several videos published on social networks show groups of Israeli supporters moving towards French supporters, triggering crowd movements.

The images show Blues supporters fleeing from several dozen Israel supporters running in their direction. The stewards then intervened to separate, via a double safety cordon.

The sporting challenge of this meeting in the Paris suburbs counting for the League of Nations is largely overshadowed by the geopolitical context. Securing the match has become a major problem. A total of 4,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed around and, rarely, in the Saint-Denis stadium, as well as on public transport and throughout Paris.