Cyrille de la Morinerie
modified to
8:16 a.m., October 25, 2022
Paris Saint-Germain finds Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League on the lawn of the Parc des Princes this Tuesday evening. A match under close surveillance: the organizers and the public authorities fear to see overflows in public transport between supporters of the Parisian club and fans of Maccabi Haifa in the hours preceding the match.
Paris Saint-Germain faces Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League on Tuesday evening at the Parc des Princes. A match to be found from 9 p.m. live on Europe 1 Sport. If successful, the Parisians will be guaranteed to play in the knockout stages of the Champions League. But this match raises concerns, in particular because of the historically strained relations between some Parisian and Israeli fans. The arrival of Maccabi Haifa at the Parc des Princes therefore makes the authorities fear the worst.
A fan who died in 2006
This match presents “very high risks of disturbing public order”, estimates the prefecture of Paris. In total, a thousand police and gendarmes will be mobilized around the Parc des Princes and in public transport. The match was even ranked level 3 out of 5.
This meeting revives the very sad memory of PSG-Hapoël Tel-Aviv of November 23, 2006. A Parisian supporter, Julien Quemener, who was chasing a French fan of the Jewish faith had been killed by a policeman who was trying to protect him. This tragedy had aroused great emotion. The president at the time of PSG, Alain Cayzac, seemed very marked on Europe 1 in 2006: “It is obviously and without hesitation the most dramatic moment of my career as a leader, because there was a death.”
Politicized forums
Even today, the stands of the Parc des Princes are highly politicized. The authorities fear that some supporters of the Auteuil turn will show their support for the Palestinian cause through songs hostile to Israel or by waving Palestinian flags, for example. There are also risks of overflow around the Parc des Princes. Consequently, the capacity of the stand dedicated to Haifa fans has been reduced to 1,500 seats, despite requests from their mayor to allocate more tickets. PSG, joined by Europe 1, ensures to prepare this meeting classified at risk by UEFA with the greatest seriousness.