The atmosphere at the stadium was clearly tense on Thursday, with reports of a brief altercation between a small number of fans in the stands early in the game.

Bezalel Smotrich, the controversial Israeli Minister of Finance, was scheduled to attend an event by a far-right organization in Paris just before, further escalating tensions. The police have classified it as a high-risk encounter,

Stewards had to intervene at the Nations League match between France and Israel on Thursday to stop fans of both nations from clashing in the stands, an AFP reporter saw. The match is taking place under heavy security after fans from the Maccabi Tel Aviv club were attacked in Amsterdam last week following a Europa League match against Ajax.