UDINE, Italy (AP) — There were snipers on the roof of the stadium and a heavy police presence throughout the city of Udine for Italy's match against Israel on Monday.
In the end, both the game — and an earlier pro-Palestine demonstration — passed without incident as Italy beat Israel 4-1 in the Nations League.
Udine was on high alert, with the game being played against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East which has spread to Lebanon after more than a year-long war in Gaza.
It was the first match Israel has played outside neutral Hungary this year. After the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7 last year, the national soccer team played in Kosovo and Andorra last November.
All Israel matches since then have been in Hungary, including last month's game against Belgium in the Nations League after the Belgian Football Association refused to host the game for security reasons.
“We are going to play this match with the hope of convincing ever more people of the wrongness of war,” Italy coach Luciano Spalletti said. “There are many Israelis who don’t want it and we must convince ever more people that this is something that has to stop.”
When Spalletti's team played its "away" match against Israel last month in Hungary, a group of about 50 Italy fans clad in all black turned their backs in apparent protest during Israel's national anthem.
There were boos from some fans in Udine when the Israeli anthem was played on Monday but the rest of the stadium tried to drown that out with loud applause — just as they had done when the Israel team was read out. At least one Palestinian flag was held up.
There was a highly visible group of around a dozen Israel fans and they loudly chanted their support.
Fewer than 12,000 tickets were sold for Monday's match — less than half the capacity of the 25,000-seater Stadio Friuli — amid stringent security measures, that also included armed military personnel on the roof of the stadium.
Areas around the stadium were blocked off 48 hours before kickoff and declared a “red zone,” and only fans with tickets could pass through the tall metal barriers. Supporters were strongly advised to arrive early because of rigorous checks.
Hundreds of extra police officers were called up from surrounding areas.
Around 1,000 people took part in a pro-Palestine demonstration earlier in the city center. Among the placards, there were several posters calling on soccer's governing bodies to ban Israel.
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