PARC DES PRINCES — Tempers ran high in the stands but Paris 2024 appeared to pass its first major security test as the Israeli team made their first appearance of the Olympic Games.
The Israel anthem was loudly booed at the Parc des Princes ahead of their men’s football clash with Mali, a Muslim-majority country, while dozens of Palestinian flags were seen dotted around the stadium.
One section of supporters, seemingly sitting in the Olympic Family section which can include representatives from any international federation, had stickers bearing pro-Gaza slogans removed but held Palestinian flags up throughout. “Political propaganda” is banned in Olympic venues but as Palestine are a nation at the games, bearing their flag is perfectly legitimate.
And the same group of Palestinian supporters had to be kept apart from angry Israel supporters on more than one occasion, but they represented a small minority of a crowd otherwise immersed in the game, which ended 1-1.
Outside the ground, thirteen fans had shirts that spelt, “Free Palestine”, while 1,000 French police officers were drafted in to form an “anti-terror perimeter”.
Alone among nations at these Games, Israel will have round-the-clock protection from a specialist elite unit of French police, as well as their own added security.
France’s interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the Israel vs Mali game had been identified as being high-risk along with the tie between Ukraine and Iraq, which was staged earlier in the south-eastern city of Lyon.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog was in Paris earlier on Wednesday, meeting athletes along with Ilana Romano and Ankie Spitzer, widows of Yossef Romano and Andrei Spitzer, among the 11 Israeli athletes killed at the 1972 Munich Games by Palestinian militants.
But tensions ahead of this match had been stoked by a hard-left French politician, who told a pro-Palestinian gathering that Israeli athletes should not be welcomed at the Games.
And on Monday, the Palestinian Olympic Committee said it had written to International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach asking him to ban Israel from the Olympics.
The letter claimed that “approximately 400 Palestinian athletes have been killed, and the destruction of sports facilities exacerbates the plight of athletes who are already under severe restrictions”.
Earlier this week, Bach reinforced his belief in the Olympic truce, insisting “we can manage to bring the entire world together in peace”.
Additional reporting from Sportsbeat
Chaotic ending to Morocco vs Argentina
Elsewhere, on a day of chaos, crowd trouble forced Morocco and Argentina to be delayed by nearly two hours and the game to be completed behind closed doors.
Morocco had been 2-1 ahead against Argentina in Saint Etienne but Cristian Medina appeared to have equalised in the 16th minute of what was supposed to be 15 minutes of added time.
Players were quickly led to safety as cups and bottles were thrown at the celebrating players, while some Morocco fans stormed the pitch.
Riot police were called in to guard the pitch after stewards had removed the invaders, while the referee led the players down the tunnel.
Fans were soon told to leave the stadium but, after a delay of 100 minutes, it was revealed the final three minutes of the match would be played in an empty stadium.
Incredibly, it was then announced Argentina’s equaliser had been ruled out by VAR for offside in the build-up.
Just under two hours after the match was stopped, it resumed and Morocco held on to win 2-1.
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