By Julien Pretot PARIS (Reuters) -France qualified for the quarter-finals of the Nations League despite a lacklustre goalless draw against Israel on Thursday in front of a record low crowd at the Stade de France due to security fears around the game.

After the recent violence around an Israeli team’s game in Amsterdam, French leaders insisted on proceeding under security with a France-Israel match, and on showing up, themselves.

Thousands of police officers are set to be deployed around Paris on Thursday ahead of a soccer game between France and Israel, seeking to avoid a repeat of last week's violence in Amsterdam involving locals and Israeli fans.