The crowd inside the Stade de France stadium booed the Israeli national anthem ahead of the France vs Israel UEFA Nations League clash on Friday.
Some people were seen running from a stand where fans with Israeli flags were seated, but they were contained by stewards who formed a barrage.
Leading up to the game, several hundred people gathered at a square in Paris’ Saint-Denis district, outside the security perimeter, waving Palestinian flags, as well as a few Lebanese and Algerian ones, to protest against the match.
The match took place a week after violence in Amsterdam around a Europa League match involving Maccabi Tel Aviv.
French police chief Laurent Nuñez said 4,000 police officers and security staff will be deployed around Stade de France, with another 1,500 police on public transport.
FOLLOW FRANCE VS ISRAEL MATCH LIVE
Paris authorities were on high alert following the violence in Amsterdam before and after a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Dutch authorities say fans from both sides were involved in the unrest. The assaults on Maccabi fans sparked outrage and were widely condemned as antisemitic.
Only 20,000 of 80,000 tickets were been sold and about 100 supporters travelled from Israel and were to be together in a corner of the stadium despite their government advising citizens to avoid cultural and sporting events abroad.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said this week there was never any doubt the match would go ahead, following the unrest in Amsterdam which saw both Maccabi fans and local groups engage in violence, according to Dutch police.
“We’ve tried to prepare for this match as normally as possible. But obviously none of us within the team can be insensitive to such a heavy context,” France coach Didier Deschamps said on Wednesday.
-with inputs from AP and Reuters
Comments
SHARE