Israeli fans whistle national anthem before their team kicks off play at 80,000-seat Stade de France - Anadolu Ajansı

A brief altercation broke out at the match between France and Israel in the Stade de France in Paris on Thursday evening. Local media said around 50 people were involved in the clash, which took place among fans inside a top section of the stadium during the first half of the Nations League match.

Paris authorities had been on high alert after last week's incidents in Amsterdam where assaults on Maccabi fans sparked outrage and were widely condemned as antisemitic. Some 4,000 police officers and security staff were deployed in and around the Stade de France at a match attended by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The demonstration was also organised to denounce a highly controversial gala organised on Wednesday night by the Israeli far-right in Paris.View on euronews

Drastic measures will be taken on Thursday evening to ensure the safety of a match that could see Les Bleus qualify for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League.

A skirmish involving Israel fans broke out in the stands of the Stade de France during a tense match between Israel and France’s men’s football teams, but a heavy police presence ensured a repeat of the serious violence in Amsterdam was avoided.

Thousands of police are being deployed in Paris to ensure security at Thursday’s France-Israel football international, a week after violence in Amsterdam in which Maccabi Tel Aviv fans came under attack.

French authorities have stepped up security in Paris ahead of a France-Israel soccer match on Thursday, hoping to avoid a repeat of violent clashes between locals and Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam last week.