Waiting at the gates, some Israel fans wore both Israeli and French colours. Two wore a t-shirt with Israeli club side Maccabi Tel Aviv's logo on the front and the words "Ni Oubli Ni Pardon" (Never Forgive Never Forget) on the back.

There was a brief altercation between a small number of fans early into Thursday's Nations League soccer game between France and Israel despite heavy security inside the stadium, a week after violence erupted in Amsterdam in connection with an Israeli club team’s visit.

With thousands of extra security personnel deployed on the streets of Paris and a “double ring” of security thrown around the national stadium, France is taking no chances with Thursday’s soccer match with Israel.