Fighting mars France-Israel football match (VIDEOS)
French football fans booed the Israeli national anthem and a fight broke out at the France-Israel match on Thursday Read Full Article at RT.com
The Stade de France was reportedly less than a quarter full, after fans boycotted the game
French and Israeli football fans clashed as their countries played a Nations League match at the Stade de France in Paris on Thursday. French fans booed the Israeli national anthem before the game, while many boycotted the match altogether over the war in Gaza.
Earlier this week, the French authorities announced that they would beef up security after widely reported clashes involving hardcore fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam led to multiple injuries.
In Paris fans booed as the Israeli national team was announced and whistled down the Jewish state's national anthem, French channel BFMTV wrote on Thursday. Minutes later a fight involving some 50 people broke out on the north side of the stadium, after which stewards stepped in and set up a safety cordon.
In videos shared on social media purporting to show the violence, a crowd of football fans with Israeli flags appears to chase a man in the stands and kick him as he goes down.