French premier, ex-president to attend France-Israel match amid heightened tensions

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - French Prime Minister Michel Barnier and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy are set to attend this Thursday’s France-Israel football match in Paris, a controversial event due to Israel’s relentless attacks on Palestinians and Lebanon, taking tens of thousands of lives, local media reported.

Le Parisien reported that Barnier and Sarkozy will accompany President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday evening during the UEFA Nations League match at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a northern Parisian suburb.

On Sunday, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez warned about the “high risk” of the match amid a tense geopolitical climate.

Nunez said some 4,000 police officers will be deployed to ensure security during the event.

However, ticket sales remain low, with only 20,000 of the stadium's 80,000 seats booked, according to RMC Sport, a French TV channel.

The match has drawn sharp criticism from advocacy groups. Last Tuesday, the Stop Genocide collective requested cancellation of the France-Israel match during a meeting with the director-general of the French Football Federation (FFF), following a protest at FFF headquarters, where activists occupied the premises.

The FFF reportedly told the delegation it "understands" the anger sparked by this event, according to Stop Genocide.

FFF officials even admitted having expressed their "concerns" about this match to UEFA, the European football organization, and to French authorities from the start.

But the FFF said the decision is beyond their control and pointed to European football body UEFA as the sole decision-maker, stressing that France "was ordered" to hold the match despite the tensions caused by the situation in Palestine.

- Riot police on duty

Last Friday, France voiced its opposition to relocating the upcoming football match, claiming that doing so would represent giving in to threats of violence and antisemitism.

Located in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, Stade de France is the largest French stadium, with room for about 81,000 people.

About 4,000 law enforcers will be mobilized in both Paris and Saint-Denis to provide security for the Israeli team, and the hotel where the Israeli national team will stay will be under surveillance by police.

The French elite riot police, the CRS (Republican Security Corps), will also work throughout Paris.

The stadium’s closest rows to the football field will be kept empty during the match to avoid a pitch invasion.