Security a concern for Italy-Israel soccer match as protesters demand match be stopped

Protesters already approached the gates of Italy’s training center in Florence last week to demand that the match isn’t played because of the war in Gaza — part of a national strike that saw millions of activists take to the streets. While UEFA had been considering suspending Israel over the war and Udine Mayor Alberto Felice De Toni had called for the game to be postponed, with Italy desperately attempting to avoid failing to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, the four-time champion doesn’t plan to risk not playing. “Considering that we’re trying to get to the World Cup and we need to give our absolute all, I’m sure you can understand that I would have preferred to play a home game with the enthusiasm that we saw in Bergamo a month ago,” Gattuso said, referring to a 5-0 win over Estonia.