Only 16,611 Fans Saw France, ‘Israel’ Match at 80,000-Capacity Stadium

France’s football match against the Israeli occupation entity on Thursday drew a crowd of only 16,611 spectators at an 80,000-capacity Stade de France stadium, marking the lowest attendance for a French men’s national team game since the venue’s inauguration in the late 1990s, AFP reported.

Police arrested 40 individuals during the tense match between France and “Israel” in Paris, with the city’s police chief stating on Friday that the extensive security measures had “worked very well,” the news agency said.

The Nations League match kicked off under heavy security following last week’s clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and hooligans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

On November 7, clashes broke out across the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, after Israeli hooligans physically assaulted citizens, took down Palestinian flags displayed on private property, and chanted provocative slogans inciting violence against Arabs and Palestinians. 

Our correspondent in France reported Friday that Israeli fans were the first to assault the rival fans, confirming that Mossad agents were present among supporters. 

At one point, stewards had to step in to prevent fans from both sides from clashing in the stands, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

Approximately 4,000 police officers and French security personnel, supported by 1,600 civilian security staff, were deployed to maintain order inside and around the stadium.

“A fight broke out which was immediately contained by the stewards,” Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told France 2 television, adding that “the match went very well from a security point of view.”

AFP cited a security source as saying that one individual was arrested on the spot following the altercation, while another was detained after being identified through CCTV footage.

The match ended in a goalless draw, but the result was sufficient for France to secure a spot in the Nations League quarter-finals.