England’s game against France on Tuesday night will take place amid the biggest security operation there has been at the new Wembley after the French football federation decided that cancelling the fixture would be giving in to the terrorists who have paralysed Paris and changed the outlook on Euro 2016.

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Noël Le Graët, president of the FFF, told the Football Association’s chief executive, Martin Glenn, that France wanted to play the game to show they would not be cowed by the atrocities that have left more than 120 people dead. Wembley’s arch has been illuminated in the colours of the French tricolor and there will be a series of tributes before a match that Roy Hodgson wants to be seen as a symbol of peace.

“The FFF has informed us they would still like to play the fixture,” the England manager said. “We respect that decision and will prepare accordingly, both on and off the pitch. The match will be a serious occasion but one that shows that the football world is united against these atrocities. I’m sure the England team and our fans will play their part and show solidarity with our French friends and provide support for both teams during this difficult time.”

The FA has been liaising with the Metropolitan police and the government, which has been in regular contact with their French counterparts, and the prime minister, David Cameron, was also notified before the announcement was made that the friendly would not be cancelled, contrary to the expectations immediately after the attacks began with a series of explosions caused by suicide bombers outside the Stade de France.

The police have designated Tuesday’s match as a high-security occasion, meaning significant increases in their searching procedures outside the ground, and the FA will embark on a consultation process with the government, Uefa and other authorities about the potential risks when next summer’s European Championship finals are staged in France.

The FA’s head of security, Tony Conniford, who has an MBE after 30 years in the police, will oversee the English operation, starting with the draw in Paris on 12 December. Hodgson will attend the event with Glenn and the FA’s chairman, Greg Dyke.

Senior staff from the FA stayed up until 3am after England’s 2-0 defeat to Spain in Alicante on Friday to work out the logistics and all the various scenarios surrounding Tuesday’s game. One of those plans was how to refund fans if the game was called off – 57,000 tickets had been sold, to go with the 19,000 Club Wembley members – and when Glenn spoke to Le Graët he stressed that the FA would fall in line with whatever the French thought was best.

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Hodgson and his players, together with various FA directors and staff, watched Friday’s events on the rolling news channels when they had a post-match meal at their hotel. By that stage, the FA was already seeking clearance to fly home England’s under-20 team, who were due to play in Nantes on Saturday.

The French sporting weekend was cancelled but the feeling in Paris is that it would send out the wrong message to call off the game. The French president, François Hollande, declared three days of national mourning and if any of their players feel unable to take part they will be excused.

The FA will also consult the two main England supporters’ clubs about travelling advice for Euro 2016 and security will be beefed up at England’s base in Chantilly, 25 miles outside Paris.

England’s team flew home from Spain on Saturday, with the mood on the plane described as “serious and sombre”, and the squad is due to reconvene on Sunday. “The events in Paris have left us all shocked and we are thinking of the victims, their loved ones and all those affected by these tragic events,” Hodgson said.

“On behalf of the England coaching staff and players, I would like to pass on our heartfelt condolences to the French nation at this extremely difficult time.”