The Rebellious France (LFI)the country’s main left-wing party, requested this Tuesday that the soccer match be canceled. France-Israel Thursday due to security risks due to conflict with Middle East.
The president of the LFI group in the National Assembly, Mathilde Panotjustified this request because “the risk of incidents is very high”, just five days after the incidents with some Israeli Maccabi fans who traveled to Amsterdam for a European match against Ajax.
Thursday’s match, part of the League of Nations group stage, will be played at the Stade de France in Saint Denis amid massive security measures (including 4,000 mobilized police) and with President Emmanuel Macron in attendance.
The LFI, the third party in the number of representatives in the National Assembly and attracting a large share of the Muslim vote in France, has been critical of Israel since the attacks by the Islamist Hamas militia on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli response to them.
The conflict in Gaza, and later in Lebanon, increased political tension in France, a country with the largest Jewish community in Europe (almost 800,000 people), while its Muslim population is also the highest on the continent (about 5.5 million,). 8% of the population).
The centre-right French Government has insisted the match will go ahead and, until then, it will deploy 4,000 police, in addition to banning Palestinian flags inside the stadium.
In addition, only about 20,000 tickets have been sold so far for a stadium with a capacity of 80,000 spectators.
Two of France’s squad for Thursday’s match, goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier and defender Dayot Upamecano, were asked today at a press conference about whether the event should take place or not.
“I understand why some fans don’t want to go (…) It doesn’t matter where we come from or what our religion is, we want peace,” said Bayern Munich defender Upamecano, who declined to comment whether or not the match should be celebrated.
Chevalier, Lille’s goalkeeper who is making his debut at the age of 23 in a call-up for the senior team, said they will try to play as “if it is a normal match”.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
