Italy is in turmoil before the football match against Israel – on Tuesday Udine is in a state of emergency

Only about 5,000 spectators will attend the stadium in Udine on Tuesday evening for Italy's World Cup qualifier against Israel. Organizers of a protest march through the city in the late afternoon, however, expect twice as many people, around 10,000.

The demonstrators are denouncing the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. More than 300 local initiatives and institutions, including sports clubs, have called for the action on matchday. Neither Israel's agreement with the Palestinian organization Hamas nor the exchange of hostages and prisoners has deterred the main protagonists from their intention to instrumentalize the football match.

Politicians from Italy's governing parties called on the organizers to transform the demonstration into a sit-in in light of current developments. However, their pleas fell on deaf ears. The Udine Committee for Palestine announced on Monday that it would continue the protest until Israel's complete withdrawal from Palestinian territories. Coinciding with the handover of the first hostages in Gaza to the Red Cross, activists from a human rights organization unfurled a ten-meter-long banner in front of the Udine stadium demanding "Stop the genocide in Gaza."

The protest march is scheduled to begin on Tuesday in front of a three-meter-high statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice, reports the Turin daily newspaper "La Stampa." A 20-meter-long banner bearing the names and ages of the 18,000 children killed in Gaza is also being prepared.

"We would like to support the Squadra Azzurra, and the stadium would be full if it were Italy versus Norway," says Riccardo Costantino, a festival organizer in Udine and one of the organizers of the protest. However, one cannot claim it's just about football. The Israeli team represents their country's government, and there are soldiers among the players.

According to their own statements, the protesters see themselves as part of the city's resistance movement, which was particularly active during World War II. According to the polling institute Only Numbers, 43 percent of Italians currently support a boycott of Israel.

On Friday, pro-Palestinian activists even occupied the regional headquarters of the Italian Football Association (FIGC) in an effort to have the match canceled. Udine's mayor, Alberto Felice De Toni, also attempted to prevent the match. However, the stadium is not municipally owned, but belongs to Serie A club Udinese Calcio. Its owner, the Pozzo family, had agreed to the match. The club's website contains only one piece of information on the matter: a list of prices and a 40 percent discount for season ticket holders.

Italian national coach Gennaro Gattuso is aware of the difficulty of the upcoming task. "The atmosphere won't be good, there will be a lot of pressure. We can't let ourselves be influenced," he said at the pre-match press conference.

In sporting terms, Italy's goal is to consolidate second place in Group I behind Norway, which would guarantee a place in the playoffs. A win against Israel would already see the Azzurri achieve this goal. However, a boycott, Gattuso warned, "would mean a 3-0 loss on the green table."

Meanwhile, Udine itself resembles a besieged city. The stadium and its surroundings have been declared a "red zone," and barriers made of fences and concrete blocks have been erected.

The police prefect issued a ban on the sale and consumption of beverages and food in glass, ceramic, or tin containers near the stadium and along the demonstration route. He also called for the removal of furniture in the city, such as tables, chairs, and patio heaters, because they could be used as projectiles in the feared riots. A hotel near the city center, presumably the quarters of the Israeli team, has been fenced off; army personnel and police are standing guard.

A controversy also arose over the possible presence of agents of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Marco Grimaldi, deputy leader of the Left and Green Party group in the Rome Chamber of Deputies, went so far as to say that this violated "the dignity of our democracy."

However, the criticism is entirely unfounded. Mossad agents are always present during visits by Israeli politicians. They are also often present at sporting events, for example, last year's Nations League match between Italy and Israel, which also took place in Udine. The match ended 4-1 for Italy. One of the goalscorers was center forward Mateo Retegui, who also scored in Saturday's 3-1 win against Estonia. On Tuesday, one thing is already certain: politics threatens to overshadow sporting events.