A French court on Wednesday afternoon overturned the order of the mayor of Nanterre, France and now Hapoel Holon's Champions League basketball game set for Wednesday night will be played in front of fans.
The Diaspora Ministry had issued a warning about the game earlier in the week, including highlighting initial indications of a demonstration planned by elements the pro-Palestinian organization Europalestine and the far-left party La France Insoumise, who plan to arrive at the arena before the game. They are taking advantage of the fact that the game is being held in the suburbs of the city, where there is a fairly large Muslim population.
"The use of aggressive slogans such as 'No peace? No justice? So no game!', alongside accusations of war crimes by Israel, may increase the chance of violence during the demonstration," the ministry statement said.
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Holon is currently ranked second in the league with a 3:2 record, but could even end the evening at the top and secure a place in the Top 16 if they win and at the same time Iguacu beats Wurzburg.
"Every game has meaning in the last round," said coach Guy Goodes ahead of the game in France. "Nanterre is the home team, which shoots at a high percentage from three and is also aggressive on defense. We will have to be focused on keeping the ball and equalizing the level of energy and effort on both sides of the court."