French PSG star who criticized Israel won't be in lineup

A few days after the horrific pogrom in Amsterdam, the Israeli national team will play this Thursday in Paris at the Stade de France against a strong French team in order to get its first points in the Nations League campaign.

After it became clear that Kylian Mbappé was not in the France squad, the French announced that another star would miss the match against Israel and he was none other than Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembélé, a Muslim, because he suffers from thigh muscle tenderness.

Dembélé is one of dozens of footballers across Europe who attacked Israel during the war against Hamas. Last May, the Frenchman posted his "All eyes on Rafah" story on his Instagram page.

Even earlier, in May 2021, the French footballer, who was playing for Barcelona at the time, posted another story against Israel and in favor of the Palestinians following the riots on the Temple Mount and in the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood, writing: "The people of Palestine refuse to be silent."

Despite the NSC announcement telling Israelis not to come and cheer for the group for fear of riots and demonstrations by pro-Palestinian demonstrators who support terrorism, to date a group of about 300 Jews and supporters of Israel have announced their intention to take part and accompany the Blue and White team.

Meanwhile, the French national team continues its preparations for the game, where the tricolour needs a win to secure their ticket to the quarter-finals of the Nations League.

* Channel 14 contributed to this article.