The match between Mali and Israel this Wednesday evening at the Parc des Princes is a first test for the Olympic security system.
The first day of the group stage of the football competition at the Olympic Games is being closely monitored by public authorities. The cause is the Group D match between Israel and Mali, this Wednesday evening at 9 p.m. at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The match between the two countries, which have had no diplomatic relations since 1973, is considered “sensitive” by the authorities and the Olympic Games organization. However, no demonstration is planned on the part of the Malian selection, the country having not supported Hamas and having called for a de-escalation of violence.
While preparations for the opening ceremony on the banks of the Seine have mobilized numerous security forces in recent days, the resigning Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin has announced that the operation will be “considerable” around the stadium that usually hosts Paris Saint-Germain, in order to avoid any overflow. The Ministry of the Interior also indicates that the match “is subject to security, an anti-terrorist perimeter. Tonight at the Parc des Princes, there will be a thousand police officers who will ensure that we are there for sport.”
On the sporting front, Mali is a slight favourite in the match, with its youngsters from the generation that finished third in the last U23 CAN. Malian midfielder Coli Saco confided this in an interview with FIFA. “We are not here to participate, contrary to what the old Olympic adage says. We are here because we want to prove our values to the whole world and return home with a nice reward.”