One policeman for every five fans. On Thursday evening, the France-Israel football match will be protected by 4,000 agents and extraordinary security measures, also facilitated by the few tickets sold. A maximum of only 20,000 spectators are expected at the Stade de France, which can hold 80,000 spectators.
Poor attendance, because it is certainly not an essential match in a tournament, the League of Nations, which already has little enthusiasm and also because the Israeli authorities have invited their citizens to leave the stadium, after "Jew hunting" in the streets of Amsterdam, on the occasion of the Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv match.
In recent days in France, there were those who proposed moving the match outside of Paris. For example, the "Lepenist" MP, Julien Odoul, who suggested holding the match in Corsica, "where there is no anti-Semitism".
Radical left MP Louis Boyard called for the match to be canceled and Israel to be expelled from UEFA.
However, after the events in Amsterdam, the French government called the match an opportunity to demonstrate that France does not give in to anti-Semitism.
This is why the mobilization is extraordinary and controls will also be doubled outside the "Stade de France", on the outskirts of Paris, where in the past - on the occasion of the 2022 Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid - there were scenes of violence and looting, where the police failed to control the youth in the suburbs.
Among the spectators, although few in number, will be the president of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the prime minister Michel Barnier and the former president, Nicolas Sarkozy.
Thus, Macron will try to make people forget an absence that the Jewish community did not appreciate, that of the anti-Semitism protest on November 12 last year.
On that occasion, it is said with the advice of the controversial comedian, Yassine Belattar, Macron preferred not to participate "so as not to divide the French". This time the president will be in the stands "to send a message of brotherhood".
The France-Israel match, not very interesting from a sporting point of view, takes on other meanings, including the absence of the star of the French national team, Kylian Mbappé, whom coach Deschamps left out of the team, "because it's better that way".
On Radio J, Jewish community broadcaster, commentator Frank Tapiro, pointed out that "there is something strange about this story, Mbappé will miss two matches with the French national team this year and both are against Israel (in reality Mbappe will not even play against Italy). I hope it is not for political reasons".
The representatives of the Madrid champion deny it and according to Deschamps, he "wanted to play", but the new Mbappe case shows how much tension surrounds the match.