a draw in an almost empty stadium in Saint-Denis

Thursday 14th November 2024 06:27 PM

The France-Israel match ended in a draw on Thursday evening in a three-quarters empty stadium. A total of 4,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed around and, rarely, in the Saint-Denis stadium, as well as on public transport and throughout Paris.

Draw. Despite a brief incident in the stands, the football match between France and Israel took place peacefully on Thursday, November 14, at the Stade de France, where an exceptional security system was put in place after last week’s violence. on the sidelines of a Maccabi Tel-Aviv match in Amsterdam. France was held in check by Israel (0-0) but qualified for the quarterfinals of the League of Nations. The sporting stakes of this meeting in the Paris suburbs were nevertheless largely overshadowed by the geopolitical context.

Fans of the visiting team were scattered throughout the stadium, carrying Israeli flags. Their national anthem triggered a few whistles from part of the audience. A brief crowd movement occurred in an upper stand during the first period, leading to the intervention of stewards to prevent Israeli supporters from mixing with French fans, noted an AFP journalist.

Questioned by AFP, the police headquarters did not wish to communicate any information, pending clarification on the circumstances, which were “still unclear”.