France can secure their place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals by beating Israel in Paris.

Didier Deschamps’ men have taken nine points from their four matches in Group A2 so far; This included a 4-1 victory in the reverse match.

Even without Real Madrid star Kylian MbappeThis match should be a formality for Deschamps’ talent-filled squad.

However, events off the field began to dominate the build-up.

MORE: France v Israel squad, expected to start with starting 11, team news and injuries confirmed

Why is France-Israel a “high risk” match?

French authorities declared the match, which will be played at the Stade de France in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris, as a “high risk” event.

In an interview with BFMTVParis security chief Laurent Nunez said 4,000 security personnel would be deployed in and around the stadium for the match; That’s a pretty high figure, considering the French Football Federation says around 20,000 tickets were sold to Ouest-France.

Considering that the Stade de France is an 80,000 capacity venue, it is possible that this number will increase significantly in the build-up to the game. La Provence On 9 November, he reported that the match would be the least attended national team match at the venue. The previous low was the match against New Zealand in the FIFA Confederations Cup, which was watched by 36,842 viewers.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to attend, and given the volatile context of the match, the low attendance may come as a relief to both the head of state and the FFF.

Security concerns increased when fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv were attacked in Amsterdam after losing 5-0 to Ajax in the UEFA Europa League on November 7. Acts of violence were provoked before these scenes, which were condemned by world leaders including Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau. It was carried out by some fans of the Tel Aviv-Yafo club, whose actions in the Dutch city included lowering Palestinian flags and chanting both anti-Arab slogans and offensive songs about the deaths and suffering of the war in Gaza.

The next Europa League away match against Beşiktaş on 28 November has been moved from Istanbul to the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary and will be played behind closed doors.

The conflict, which flared up after Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7 last year, frames the atmosphere of high tension between France and Israel this week, especially given the large Jewish and Muslim populations of the hosts.

Before the violence in Amsterdam, activists staged a sit-in at FFF headquarters calling for the game to be cancelled. When Paris Saint-Germain hosted Atletico Madrid at the Parc des Princes on November 6, the Parisian club’s ultras issued a large tifo reading “Free Palestine. War on the pitch but peace in the world.”

PSG Ultras’ tifo before the match against Atlético de Madrid:

“Free Palestine. War on the field, peace in the world. ” #UCL | #PSGApic.twitter.com/O6wvA0quWT

— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) 6 November 2024

Israel’s National Security Council advised national team fans “categorically not to attend” the match against France.

Are France and Israel facing each other?

The match will be played as planned at 20.45 local time in Paris.

French MP Julien Odoul suggested moving the match to Corsica. But the island off France’s southern coast is a stronghold of the far-right National Rally party represented by Odoul.

The Stade de France has faced significant security issues in the recent past. The venue was targeted in terrorist attacks during France’s match against Germany in November 2015, when three suicide bombers were unable to enter the stadium.

The 2022 UEFA Champions League final was quickly moved to the Stade de France and witnessed complete operational disarray. Liverpool fans tangled dangerously outside the stadium Before their team’s 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid. Police used tear gas, supporters were attacked and public transport service failed after full hours. An independent report later placed “primary responsibility” for the chaos on UEFA.

Saint-Denis’ home ground was also the main stadium for the Olympic Games earlier this year, and the events went off without a hitch.