Football fans are preparing to follow the upcoming confrontation between the French and Israeli national teams in the fifth round of Group Two in the European Nations League for the 2024-2025 season.
The France vs. Israel match will be held today, Thursday, November 14, 2024, at the Stade de France in the Saint-Denis district of Paris. This match comes under strict security measures, given the current political tensions, and a distinguished official presence.
Match events
D35: Eduardo Camavinga, France national team player, receives a yellow card
10 minutes remained in the match, and a goalless draw closed the situation between France and Israel
D 49: Saqiv Jezkel, Israel national team player, receives a yellow card.
The date of the match between France and Israel in the European Nations League
The match starts at:
- 09:45 pm Egypt time
- 10:45 pm Saudi time
- 11:45 pm UAE and Oman time
Channels broadcasting the France vs. Israel match
You can follow the match on beIN Sports channels in the Middle East and North Africa region, in addition to other European channels such as:
- beIN Sports HD 2 English
- Diema Sport HD
- Sport TV3 Portugal
- TF1 HD France
The expected formation of the French and Israeli teams
Formation of the French national team
French coach Didier Deschamps is expected to start with a squad that includes:
- Goalkeeping: Mike Maignan
- Defense line: Giulis Conde, Ibrahim Konate, William Saliba, Theo Hernandez
- Midline: N’Golo Kante, Kouadio Kone, Matthew Gondouzi
- Offensive line: Ousmane Dembélé, Kolo Mwani, Barkola
Formation of the Israeli national team
It is expected that coach Ran Ben Chamoun will rely on a defensive formation that includes:
- Goalkeeping:Daniel Peretz
- Defense line: Raz Shlomo, Idan Nahmias, Sean Goldberg, Manor Solomon
- Midline: Muhammad Abu Fani, Kanikowski
- Offensive line: Oscar Gluch, Dor Peretz, Torgman
Exceptional security measures for the France vs. Israel match
The match aroused the interest of the French authorities, who decided to take unprecedented security measures, as the Paris police chief, Laurent Nunez, described the match as “highly dangerous.”
This classification comes after the rise in rates of “anti-Semitic” attacks in Europe following the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza since last October.
The authorities deployed about 4,000 police and gendarmerie personnel around the Stade de France, in addition to 1,600 personnel on public transportation and throughout Paris. Security was also reinforced with French elite units such as the “RAID” unit to secure the Israeli team.
An official presence in the stands
The match will be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, along with former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, and a number of senior officials.
According to the French newspaper Le Monde, Macron seeks, through his presence, to “send a message of brotherhood and solidarity,” especially after the events that took place in Amsterdam last week during the Maccabi Tel Aviv match against Ajax.
Background of the Amsterdam events and their impact on the match
After the Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax match, the Dutch capital witnessed violence and confrontations between Israeli fans and members of the Arab community.
These events raised the concern of the French authorities, who were keen to take all necessary measures to avoid a recurrence of such events in Paris, especially with only about 25,000 spectators attending, which is the lowest percentage in the history of the Stade de France for an international match, which reflects the caution of the fans.
Why do Israeli teams play in Europe?
Due to the sporting isolation that Israel faced in Asia following the 1967 war, and as a result of the refusal of many Asian countries to confront it, the European Football Association (UEFA) accepted it into its tournaments in 1991, and since then, Israeli teams have participated in European tournaments.