1,000 police officers just for Israeli tennis match...

No spectators, but 1,000 police officers....

Swedish police are to mobilize up to 1,000 officers in Malmö next weekend in a bid to guarantee the safety of players and functionaries during a Davis Cup match between Sweden and Israel.

Local politicians cited security concerns when ruling last week that the match at the 4,000 capacity Baltiska Hallen arena should be played behind closed doors. The match will be played from March 6th to 8th.

The Malmö-based 'Stop the match' network is expecting 8,000 to 12,000 people to gather for a major demonstration on March 7th as part of a protest against Israel's recent war in Gaza.

But police are primarily concerned about the participation of groups from the extreme left wing autonomist movement.

"They have stated that they want to stop the Davis Cup match at any cost," said Malmö police chief Håkan Jarborg Eriksson.