Israel soccer team draws 1-1 against Mali amid boos and heightened security at Paris Olympics

The Israeli national soccer team faced the African nation of Mali on Wednesday at the Paris Olympics amid heightened security and anti-Israel boos from some spectators. It was the first time an Israeli soccer team appeared at the Olympics since 1976 in Montreal.

Some 25,000 soccer fans watched the game live, including dignitaries like Israeli President Isaac Herzog, his wife Michal and Israeli Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar.

Mali, once a French colony, was backed by the large Malian diaspora residing in France

“We came here to win and achieve things with this team and are very excited,” said Omri Gandelman, a midfielder on the Israeli team who plays for the Belgian club team Gent. “We have a job to do,” he added.

The defender Hamidou Diallo scored 1-0 for Israel in the 57th minute. However, just five minutes later, a Malian player, Cheickna Doumbia, leveled the score with a successful header. The game ended 1-1.

While the game itself was peaceful, there were security concerns due to the presence of anti-Israel activists who held Palestinian Authority flags and demonstrated against the Jewish state. Some activists wore “Free Palestine” t-shirts and booed when the Israeli national anthem was played before the game. Israeli players were also met with initial boos when they touched the ball during the game.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin stressed that, as the Olympic Games host, Paris has a duty to maintain security.

“We owe this security to the whole world,” Darmanin stated. “The threats to our country are the threats that concern the Western world,” he added.

French authorities deployed some 1,000 police officers to secure the perimeter surrounding the soccer venue. A large police force with riot vans and motorbike riders escorted the Israeli players to the game. In addition, Shin Bet forces (Israel's security agency) also provided security for the large Israeli delegation

Israeli athletes have received multiple death threats and attempts to prevent Israel from participating in the Paris Olympics. Earlier this week, a masked anti-Israel extremist threatened to continue "our struggle against the Zionist regime" and stated: “Rivers of blood will flow through the streets of Paris” during an antisemitic rant in a video uploaded to social media.

Michael Levy, the uncle of one of the Israeli soccer team players, dismissed the vocal but small anti-Israel crowd at the soccer stadium.

“I don’t really care about the minority who don’t want Israel here,” Levy said. “Antisemitism is a disease and I’m not here to be the cure.”

Mali is an African Muslim-majority nation that severed diplomatic ties with Israel after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 when Egypt and Syria attacked the Jewish state. The nation was allegedly largely influenced by Arab states and the Non-Aligned Movement.

However, in July 2023, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen attended an Africa Union summit in Kenya where he also met leaders from countries that do not have official relations with Israel. Cohen’s office later confirmed that Jerusalem was pursuing “normalization contacts with several African countries including Niger, Mali and Mauritania.”