This is a special meeting. In two ways. First, there is the basketball game, a meeting with important sporting stakes. The Paris Basketball, the unbeaten leader of Group A of the Eurocup (C2) after five days, welcomes Hapoël Tel-Aviv on Wednesday at 8:30 pm in their arena at the halle Carpentier. Their opponent, who remains on four victories in four outings, is currently second in the standings. The duel promises to be undecided, exciting, between the last two undefeated teams. The first place is at stake.
But above all, this basketball evening will be played in a special context. It is impossible to ignore the dramatic events that have been taking place in the Middle East for the past month, with the terrorist attacks by Hamas and Israel’s military response. Hapoël’s club has been directly and dramatically affected. Two young people from their training center were killed on October 7th, along with their families in their home in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz located near the Gaza Strip. To enter the hall, you will have to show a white flag.
“We must remember and remind everyone, at all times and everywhere in the world, of the atrocities committed by the terrorists of Hamas and ISIS (Daesh) against innocent Israeli citizens,” said Ofer Yannay, the club’s owner. “Nineteen of the people killed were supporters of Hapoël and several others are missing. Our thoughts go out to each of the families of the victims. The Hapoël family embraces them and will always remember them.”
These circumstances have encouraged the Parisian club to take exceptional security measures in line with the situation. The Hapoël’s leaders are in regular contact with their embassy, and those of Paris Basketball with the Paris prefecture’s services. The latter should assign at least 70 to 80 law enforcement representatives to secure the Parisian venue and its surroundings. Usually, games do not require any special measures. Inside the venue, the club has also doubled the staff, from about 15 agents to around 30. To enter the hall, you will have to show a white flag.
If the Tel-Aviv club – where Frenchman Jaylen Hoard plays – will only be able to count on family members or sympathizers to support them in Paris, and not on their loyal supporters, authorities are particularly concerned about hostile demonstrations or disturbances outside.
In addition, the bus of the Israeli players, who arrived in Paris on Friday and have been training in various venues around Paris, will be under police escort before and after the game. Like Maccabi Tel Aviv, called the “club-nation,” Hapoël has had its own security service for years – strengthened in light of recent events – with a coordinator in charge of everything. Agents or former agents of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, are also tasked with supervising the teams.
However, the idea of postponing or playing behind closed doors (as was the case in the Eurocup match in London last week) was quickly dismissed, in agreement with the Paris prefecture services and the two clubs. “Everyone wants this match to take place and to be played in front of an audience,” we are assured on the side of Paris Basketball. Sport as an outlet, a moment of sharing and solidarity.
After this match, the two teams will meet again in early January for the return match, in a location that is still not known. Since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel, the local championship has been put on hold. Like the Ukrainians of Prometey who have been forced into exile – they participate in the joint championship in Latvia and Estonia and play their matches in Riga (Latvia) – Hapoël is a club without a fixed home. They have asked to play their Eurocup matches away for security reasons.
“The current situation in the country is one of the most difficult of all time, and all we want to do is bring a little joy to as many fans as possible and come back to Drive In (the venue that usually hosts home games) with everyone,” said Tomer Ginat, a player of Hapoël. “I hope it happens very soon.”
