PARIS : Paris police chief Laurent Nunez deployed 1,000 law enforcement officers for Thursday’s basketball game between Paris and Maccabi Tel Aviv amid concerns of protests over the war in Gaza, but faced an different type of disruption.
During the first quarter of the Euroleague encounter at the Adidas Arena, Nunez and some 4,500 spectators covered their noses as what was described as a smell of rotten cheese, or vomit, spread through the arena.
A Maccabi fan yelled his discontent, furious that the visitors were treated so badly, but sat down after being told the smell was even worse on the local side of the stands.
Police said the smell came from stink bombs released by some spectators as they left the grounds on an otherwise peaceful evening.
Paris went on to win the game 96-83.
A number of sporting fixtures involving Israeli teams in France have faced protests related to the war in Gaza.
In December, a basketball match between Nanterre 92 and Israel’s Hapoel Hakon was suspended for several minutes after a group waving Palestinian flags ran onto the court.
