More than 4,000 police officers were deployed around the Nations League game between France and Israel to ensure the safety of Israeli players and fans. There were only brief ugly scenes in the arena.
France hosted the Israeli national team in the Nations League. The game, which ended 0-0, was anything but a normal international match. Over 4,000 police officers were deployed in and around the arena to ensure the safety of Israeli fans, coaches and players.
The police strategy worked until kick-off; no clashes were reported at the Stade de France in Paris. However, despite the highest level of security with strict controls in front of the stadium and at entry, fans managed to smuggle smoke bombs into the arena. They set it on fire as the Israeli national anthem was played.
The stadium, which can accommodate 80,000 spectators, was only occupied by 20,000 fans. But after just eleven minutes there were riots in the north stand of the arena.
Videos circulating on X show French and Israeli supporters attacking each other and brawling. Innocent spectators fled the stands and sought safety. The CRS riot police ended the mass brawl by taking decisive action. The incident lasted a good two minutes.
Special forces rush to the stadium
According to information from “Bild”, special police units drove to the stadium on motorcycles to support their colleagues in the arena.
4,000 police officers were deployed for the game, which was classified as sensitive – including in local transport and in the area around the stadium. Another 1,600 security guards worked at the venue. According to French media, only around 16,600 spectators watched the match in the stadium.
Things remained quiet in Paris until kick-off. In the first half, several dozen people clashed in the north curve. Fans with Israeli flags were also involved, as seen in videos. The security forces and police quickly intervened and separated the two groups.
Plainclothes police officer appears satisfied
After both teams drew 0-0, the situation near the stadium was calm, according to broadcaster BFMTV and the newspaper “Le Parisen”. Israeli fans, especially French Jews, then left the stadium in specially hired buses, wrote “Le Parisien”. The police escorted her. “That went very well. “We had more resources than at the Olympics,” the paper quoted a plainclothes police officer as saying.
Israel coach Ran Ben Shimon thanked France for the security precautions at the Nations League game in Paris. “The security was exceptional and fantastic,” the French newspaper “Le Parisien” quoted the coach as saying. “We want to thank the security forces who protected us,” the sports magazine “L’Équipe” said the coach.
There were concerns about security following the targeted attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam last Thursday. Israel’s National Security Council generally called on citizens to exercise caution at events abroad. They should avoid sporting and cultural events outside Israel that involve Israeli teams or artists, Haaretz newspaper reported, citing the Security Council.
A few kilometers from the stadium, hundreds gathered in the early evening for a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
There are concerns about security following the targeted attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam last Thursday. Israel’s National Security Council generally called on citizens to exercise caution at events abroad. You should avoid sporting and cultural events outside Israel that involve Israeli teams or artists. There are expected to be around 300 Israeli fans in the stadium at the game in Paris.
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