France – Israel match: why there will be 25 times more police than Israeli supporters

The football match between the Blues and the Israeli team will be held at the Stade de France this Thursday, November 14. The match will be secured by 4,000 members of the security forces, while a hundred Israeli supporters are expected.

The football match between the French team and the Israeli team will take place this Thursday, November 14, at 8:45 p.m., at the Stade de France. “A question of principle,” assured the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, after confirming that the Nations League match would go ahead, despite fears of anti-Semitic excesses and violence. Fears revived by the violence observed at Amsterdam last Thursday after a match between Macabi Tel-Avi and Ajax. “France is not backing down because that would amount to giving up in the face of threats of violence and anti-Semitism,” added the Minister of the Interior on X. A decision supported by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF). At the same time, other politicians mainly from La France Insoumise, including Mathilde Panot and Louis Boyard, have called for the cancellation of the match.

If the match goes ahead, it will be placed under high surveillance: 4,000 members of the security forces will be deployed around the Stade de France and in Paris. In detail, 2,500 police officers and gendarmes will secure the stadium grounds and will be assisted by the presence of 1,400 to 1,600 stewards mobilized by the French Football Federation inside the infrastructure. The other 1,500 members of the police force will patrol public transport and certain areas of the capital frequented by supporters.

Only 20,000 supporters expected

The security measures and the number of personnel deployed are colossal, especially considering the number of supporters expected in the stands. The French Football Federation expects a maximum of 20,000 people at the Stade de France for the match between Les Bleus and the Israeli team, very few compared to the stadium's capacity of 80,000 seats. And of these thousands of supporters, only 100 to 150 are expected to sit in the stands dedicated to visitors, accessible to people who have purchased tickets. their ticket from the Israel Football Association. Some of them made the trip from the Hebrew state on purpose, ignoring the recommendations of the Israeli authorities who called on nationals to avoid the match. Other Israeli supporters residing in France are expected to be present, but will not sit in these stands.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

It was to protect these supporters from anti-Semitic violence, and more broadly to avoid any clashes on the sidelines of the match, that so many police forces were mobilized.  “We must at all costs avoid having the same scenes at home”, a security source explained to Parisien. “We will be watched around the world. It's almost like the Olympics: you can't go wrong.”

Security perimeter, identity checks, searches and pat-downs

Preventive security measures will be taken before the match, including the closure of businesses, including restaurants and bars, surrounding the stadium forecourt from 3:45 p.m., five hours before the match, in order to avoid gatherings as much as possible. Access to the Stade de France will also be secured as indicated by Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez on BFMTV Sunday, November 10: "There will be a double check [and] a security perimeter around the anti-terrorist stadium".

To access the stadium, you will need to present your tickets, which are strictly nominative, as well as an identity document. A search and frisking will also be mandatory to enter the stadium. Several items have also been prohibited: backpacks, liquid containers such as bottles, flasks or cans, as well as Palestinian flags. Only French and Israeli flags will be allowed to support the teams present on the field.

Israeli demonstrations before the France – Israel match

While the Israeli authorities are calling on its nationals not to go to the sporting event, other Jewish and Israeli organizations are planning to make themselves heard before and during the match. A demonstration is also planned at Paris on Wednesday, November 13, the day before the match, by an international Jewish movement. “We are outraged by what happened in Amsterdam and by the reaction of governments,” said the president of the umbrella organization of Betar World, Yigal Brand, in a statement. He added: “We are proud Zionists and have nothing to apologize for (…) We will gather in Paris on Wednesday and Thursday at the soccer match that is also under threat by the jihadists."

The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron will also be present at Thursday's match. A way to reassure people about the security of the event and to express a  "gesture of solidarity and fraternity" Israel in a tense geopolitical context, according to the entourage of the head of state in Parisien.