France shields itself to play against Israel: 4,000 police officers, closed businesses and maximum security

France is armouring itself for the UEFA Nations League match against the Israel team. The reason is very simple: they do not want it to be repeated again. the images of the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv where acts of extreme violence were seen between both fans where there were 62 arrests and 10 Israelis injured and two missing. A meeting that will stop the environment of the Stade de France in Paris and that requires the deployment of an unprecedented device, even superior to the one organized for the Paris Olympic Games in this same venue.

4,000 troops to ensure security

“There is no particular threat, but zero risk does not exist”he stated this Tuesday afternoon in an interview in TF1 the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau. Some words that do not coincide with the security that has been prepared for a UEFA Nations League group stage match in the French capital and that Laurent Nuñez, director of the Paris Police Headquarters, was talking about: “There will be double control, with an anti-terrorist security perimeter around the stadium. We will have a total of 4,000 people in the system”. And it is that of those effects, 2,500 will be police and gendarmes who will patrol around the stadium and another 1,500 will be distributed throughout Paris and all transport routes to the stadium..

And they will not be the only units that will be on the ground. Furthermore, also The elite unit will be deployed as support and with the aim of ensuring that the Israeli footballers can correctly reach the stadium. In addition, inside the stadium they will be deployed 1,600 security agents hired by the FFF (French Football Federation). “On average, there are 1,200 or 1,300 for France matches when the stadium is full,” said Laurent Nuñez to compare it with this match where they are expected 20,000 fans of the 80,000 that will be on the field.

A device that contemplates that The shops surrounding the square in front of the venue are closed from 3:45 p.m. on the day of the match (France-Israel being scheduled for 8:45 p.m.). Measures that will not only affect the hospitality industry but the same will also happen with some offices of neighboring companies. Therefore, whoever wants to access You must have a valid identification document or passport, in addition to the entry to prove your access as a fan to watch the match.

A demonstration that worries the authorities

A match that will be preceded by a demonstration against the “French-Israeli holding” in the town hall of Saint-Denis, 1.6 kilometers away from the Stade de France. A concentration that complies with the confidences that the authorities have set, but that does not stop worrying the safety of all attendees to the point of being able to prohibit it with a court order. A drastic decision that they hope to avoid with a negotiation with the organizers to move it to a less critical point in the city and for the safety of the event.

“It is out of the question to go to the stadium to demonstrate. and have any initiative that can be experienced as a desire for confrontation. On the part of the protesters there is no desire for excesses,” assured Éric Coquerel, deputy for the first constituency of Seine-Saint-Denis and president of the finance commission of the National Assembly. Although There are political parties such as Francia Insumisa (LFI) advocating the cancellation of the meeting which they consider to be of very high tension.

We have to make sure it remains a football match, despite everything

Didier Deschamps, France coach

Israel escorted by an elite corps

The Israeli team already attended training last Tuesday, escorted at all times by numerous police vehicles. A hotel establishment located in Val-d’Oise and guarded by elite forces that check the identity of all pedestrians in the area and that only clients can access the hotel. As well as an exhaustive record of the luggage carried by all those who finally end up accessing it.

In the words of the Israeli coach, Ran Ben Shimon has said that he feels “safe” given the difficulty in which this meeting is involved and even the midfielder Ethane Azoulay, born in Paris, has said that they are focused on the match and with their “feet on the ground”. A few words that are joined by those of the French coach, Didier Deschamps: “We have done everything possible to prepare for this match as normally as possible, but obviously no one can be insensitive to the context, which is heavy and overwhelming. We have to make sure it remains a football match, despite everything“he concludes.