Maximum vigilance. A reinforced security system of “800 police and gendarmes” is planned for Tuesday evening by the Paris police headquarters for the Champions League match between PSG and the Israelis of Maccabi Haifa, at the Parc des Princes at 9 p.m.
In a note from the Paris police headquarters, the security services explain that “this meeting presents high risks of disturbing public order” for several reasons.
First, because the “supporters of the Ultras Paris collective will be present in large numbers” and could take advantage of the match to show “their support for the Palestinian cause”. Then because “ultra-Zionist militants, including some close to the former Jewish Defense League” could also be there to “protect Israeli supporters”.
The fear of isolation among Parisian supporters
The security services also raise the possibility that “Parisian risk elements” are around the Parc des Princes to “attack Israeli supporters”.
The note further mentions the fact that “according to the Israeli Embassy, approximately 2,000 Maccabi Haifa supporters not from Israel” are “likely to have purchased seats in the general public stands”. However, “their isolation in the midst of Parisian supporters could create security risks, for themselves or for those around them if they did not respect neutral behavior (no jersey / no flags / no noisy demonstration of support for received team).
In this context, it was planned to mobilize “1,400 stewards”, to constitute “a security reserve of 350 places in the visitors’ stand in order to be able to relocate Maccabi Haifa supporters isolated in the general public stands”.
Seats in the reduced visitors’ stand
The gauge of the visitors’ stand has been reduced to “1,650 seats for Maccabi supporters against 2,000” usually, is it detailed in the note. According to UEFA regulations, each club is required to reserve at least 5% of its stadium capacity exclusively for the use of the visiting club’s supporters. To control the flow of Israeli supporters whose arrival in France would not be supervised, “ticket purchases from IP addresses in Israel have been blocked”.
During a meeting with the prefect of police of Paris, Laurent Nuñez, the Israeli embassy undertook to relay the security instructions for any supporter coming from Israel: no flag or colors of the Maccabi club in transport, around the stadium and in the stadium, outside the visitors’ stand.