In the end, it was almost as quiet in front of and in the stadium as on the green grass itself. 4,000 police officers were deployed in Paris for the high-security game between France and Israel (0-0), and an elite unit also protected the Israeli team. Another 1,600 security guards worked at the venue to prevent another “Amsterdam”, where violent riots against Israeli fans broke out after the Dutch first division club Ajax Amsterdam’s game in the Europa League against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Israel coach Ran Ben Shimon has now 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.
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. The incident lasted a good two minutes. According to French media, only 16,600 spectators watched the match in the stadium, which has space for 80,000 people.
Security forces praise the effort
After both teams drew 0-0, the situation near the stadium was calm, according to 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’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. Around 100 Israeli fans were there despite calls from Israeli authorities to stay away from the game.
