November 14 – Israel coach Ran Ben Shimon has urged the watching world to separate football from politics as his side prepare to take on France amid high security in the Nations League in Paris tonight.
French police say 4,000 officers and security staff will be deployed around the Stade de France, with another 1,500 police on public transport.
Paris authorities are on high alert following last week’s Europa League game in Amsterdam when Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were targeted in a wave of anti-semitic hit-and-run attacks.
Only 20,000 of 80,000 tickets for tonight’s game have been sold with only about 150 Israel supporters reportedly attending, escorted by police.
“I separate the context from football. I don’t want to use the news as an alibi,” said Ben Shimon. “Off the pitch, it’s very difficult to hear so much bad news coming out of Israel. It affects us.”
“But I come from the world of sport, and I want to negotiate this match in the best possible way to make people’s daily lives a little bit easier. I try to focus on the team and what I can handle. What I can manage is how my team will play against one of the best teams.
“15,000, 20,000, 25,000 spectators, it doesn’t matter. I hope that we will have people from the Israeli community who will come to watch the match, that we will give them pleasure, hope. And that they will then be able to return home safely, because it’s just sport.”
France coach Didier Deschamps echoed Ben Shimon’s sentiments, saying he would also be concentrating on his team’s efforts.
“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,” Deschamps said. “It impacts the amount of supporters present tomorrow and everything that goes with it.”
The corresponding away match against Israel on October 10 – which France won 4-1 – was played in Budapest, Hungary.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said postponing or moving the game elsewhere was ruled out.
“France does not retreat,” he said. “France does not submit, and the France-Israel match will take place where it’s supposed to.”
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