Police in Paris on Saturday detained hundreds of people after fans of Paris Saint-Germain went berserk in the French capital on the night of the club’s Champions League final victory against Arsenal.
The Champions League final match was a nail-biter, with PSG defeating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties in Budapest.
What do we know so far?
The French Interior Ministry said at least 326 people were arrested nationwide. Some 235 of those were taken into custody in Paris.
Riots had reportedly begun earlier when Arsenal had taken a lead against PSG on penalties. About 20,000 people flooded Paris’ iconic Champs-Elysees avenue; some fans shot off fireworks and lit flares.
Police scrambled to contain the large crowd at the iconic Champs-Elysees avenueImage: Romeo Boetzle/AFP
According to French police, several hundred fireworks were confiscated, along with flares.
Police said a bakery and restaurant were damaged near the Parc des Princes stadium, the home turf of PSG. Over 1,000 people had gathered there and barricades were constructed by rioters made of bicycles.
The main ring road around Paris, commonly known as the Peripherique, was even briefly blockaded by a crowd before police intervened.
Police hope to prevent a repeat of last year’s deadly unrest
There were 22,000 police on the scene in the French capital to maintain order.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez highlighted a “very robust, very solid system in place” to deal with unrest. He later said that seven officers were injured and labeled the chaos “absolutely unacceptable.”
French far-right parliamentarian and former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, meanwhile, said “only in France does the victory of a football club spark riots. Only in France does everyone feel compelled to lock themselves in their homes on a night of victory to avoid being confronted with violence.”
The French Republican Security Corps (CRS) are one of the police units involved in crowd and riot control Image: Romeo Boetzle/AFP
Le Pen has been banned from political office and running for the presidency again due to embezzlement charges. She is seeking to overturn last year’s ruling and again run as a presidential candidate in the 2027 race.
Over 500 people were arrested across France and two people died last year as celebrations broke out following PSG’s earlier Champions League win over Inter Milan.
Edited by: Sean Sinico