France vs Israel Nations League Football Match Set To Go Ahead Despite Fear Of Violence

Paris police chief have been asked to take necessary security measures for the match.

A Nations League football match between France and Israel will go ahead as planned in Paris next week despite the clashes that erupted in Amsterdam following a game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax, the French interior minister said on Friday. The game at the Stade de France on Thursday has been identified as a potential flashpoint but Bruno Retailleau said France would not "back down". "Some are calling for the France-Israel match to be relocated. I do not accept this," Retailleau wrote on X.

"France is not backing down because that would amount to giving up in the face of threats of violence and anti-Semitism," he added.

Retailleau said he had asked Paris police chief Laurent Nunez to take the necessary security measures for the match.

A lawmaker from Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party, Julien Odoul, on Thursday suggested moving the match to the island of Corsica.

Violence flared in Amsterdam after a Europa League match on Thursday between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.