Paris security chief Laurent Nuñez said that a total of 4,000 security personnel would be stationed in and around the stadium for what he called a “high-risk” event in an interview Sunday with BFMTV.
Approximately 20,000 tickets have been sold so far, the French Football Federation’s President Philippe Diallo told local daily Ouest-France, which suggests a security ratio of nearly one agent for every five attendees.
Even before the Amsterdam violence, the France-Israel match had been a political flashpoint. Last week, activists staged a sit-in at the French Football Federation’s headquarters, calling for the game to be canceled in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians. France Unbowed, the largest left-wing party in the French National Assembly, also called for the match to be canceled.
On the opposite end of the political spectrum, far-right National Rally MP Julien Odoul suggested relocating the match to Corsica, an island off the southern coast of France where his party’s candidate Marine Le Pen finished first in the last presidential election. Odoul claimed that there “is no antisemitism” on the island.
Retailleau, however, insisted that the game take place at the French team’s home stadium in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris, and remain open to the public, according to his adviser.
The Stade de France has been a theater for several security crises. During the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, three suicide bombers unsuccessfully attempted to enter the stadium. All three died and a bystander outside the stadium was also killed. The Stade de France also hosted the 2022 UEFA Champions League final that saw fans crushed, pepper-sprayed and beaten by police due to failed crowd management policy.
