“A wild night”: Hundreds of fans were arrested in France following PSG’s victory in the Champions League final
31 May 05:31
French police detained 416 people in various cities across the country following clashes with soccer fans who took to the streets on the night of Sunday, May 31, immediately after Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won its second consecutive UEFA Champions League final. The largest number of people—283—were detained in the capital. DW reports the words of the country’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunes, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
Although this year’s final was held in Budapest, Hungary, approximately 22,000 police officers maintained order on the streets of French cities during and after the match, with 8,000 of them stationed in Paris. In the capital, tram service was also suspended and several metro stations were closed. Furthermore, bus service was suspended in several districts.
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Meanwhile, about 20,000 fans gathered on the Champs-Élysées. According to Nunes, seven police officers were injured in clashes with the crowd, one of them seriously. Law enforcement used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Among the fans, according to a Le Figaro source in the police, two women were injured—one was hospitalized after falling into the Seine, and the other suffered a stab wound. Authorities seized 24 flares and about 100 pieces of pyrotechnics from the rioters.
Fans blocked the road and set off fireworks
Some fans blocked the Paris ring road (Périphérique), temporarily paralyzing traffic on it, the publication notes. According to Nunes, they unsuccessfully attempted to block the highway four times. Meanwhile, as Le Figaro notes, the roadblock led to an accident in which a scooter driver and his passenger suffered serious injuries.
In total, six cars and two establishments—a bakery and a restaurant near the Parc des Princes stadium, where PSG plays its home games—were damaged in Paris. Additionally, a bus stop near the Élysée Palace was reportedly destroyed. Fans also set bicycles on fire. Damage was also caused to infrastructure in a dozen other French cities, including Rennes, Strasbourg, Clermont-Ferrand, and Grenoble, where, according to media reports, several stores were looted.
Preemptive measures failed to prevent the riots and damage
Riots in Paris and other French cities also occurred a year earlier, when PSG won the Champions League for the first time in history. With this in mind, authorities and business owners began preparing in advance for the aftermath of the match. For example, storefronts were boarded up several hours before the match.
Núñez: The parade on the Champ de Mars will take place on May 31
According to the Minister of the Interior, despite the nighttime riots, the official celebrations marking PSG’s victory over London’s Arsenal in the Champions League final will take place on May 31. About 100,000 people are expected to gather for the parade, in which the club’s players will participate. Afterward, the players will be received at the Élysée Palace by President Emmanuel Macron.
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