The match between France And Israel of the League of Nations Next Thursday it starts to warm up. Although it was initially considered to change the location to avoid clashes between French supporters at the Stade de France and visitors, it has now been announced that access to any type of pro-Palestinian symbols would be prohibited. This was confirmed by the Paris police prefect: “Only French or Israeli flags will be authorized, accompanied by messages of support for the teams. “Political messages cannot be present in stadiums.”
The match was declared high risk, especially after the events that occurred in Amsterdam during the match Europa League between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli fans who attended the duel suffered a pogrom in the Dutch capital and were lynched by pro-Palestinian groups after the match. The Netanyahu government itself had to intervene, sending two planes to the Netherlands to rescue those affected.
NOW, Laurent Nuñez, the prefect of Parisian police, He wanted to reassure everyone and assured that any form of pro-Palestinian symbology would not be authorized. Not even the Palestinian flag. The reason is that the UEFA prohibits any type of political claim. If this is done, the continental body will not hesitate to punish the team of supporters who carry it out.
“I want to reassure those who listen to us, while transmitting a message of firmness. We will have means that will allow us to be extremely rapid in preventing any disturbance of public order, whether during the match, near it or along the route taken by spectators.“, underlined Núñez regarding the fear of any confrontation between French and Israeli supporters.
A high-risk France-Israel
He also mentioned the change in scenario initially envisaged, with the aim of avoiding conflicts in Saint Denis. However, he explained the reasons why they excluded the Parc des Princes, which was proposed as the venue: “Traditionally, national team matches take place in the stadium of France. There was no objective reason to choose the Park. We are able to secure the Stade de France, which hosted the Olympic Games. “We have learned lessons from the events that occurred during the Champions League final in May 2022.”
The prefect of Paris also indicated that “The match must be played under normal conditions, without any restrictions,” beyond those imposed by UEFA and which lead them to prevent the introduction into the stadium of symbols that could have any kind of political connotation, such as the Palestinian flag. “THE French Football Federation (FFF) stressed that the enthusiasm did not live up to expectations. A series of seats not on sale have been frozen. There is no failure. This match arouses less enthusiasm than others. It’s a celebration of League of Nations», finished.
