Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) victory over Arsenal in the Champions League final, the second consecutive one they have won, sparked a wave of incidents shortly after the match ended on Saturday, resulting in 131 arrests, one police officer injured, and several businesses damaged, according to the latest figures from the Police Prefecture, shortly after eleven at night.
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The incidents mainly occurred at the Parc des Princes, PSG’s stadium, where screens had been set up to follow the match and where clashes with law enforcement began shortly after the game started, around half past six.
At the end of the match, police charges also began on the Champs-Élysées, where about 20,000 people gathered after the match ended. The Prefecture reported one police officer injured in clashes with fans and numerous damages to urban furniture. More than 2,200 checks have been carried out and prohibited fireworks were seized this Saturday in areas considered problematic. Part of the ring road surrounding Paris was invaded by fans before law enforcement quickly dispersed them.
The Ministry of the Interior mobilized 22,000 police officers and gendarmes across the country for PSG’s second Champions League final, of which 8,000 agents are in Paris, along with 2,500 firefighters. This is a more ambitious deployment than last year, when PSG won their first Champions League. Then, the celebrations ended with more than 500 arrests and numerous damages.
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The Prefecture had planned a larger deployment this time, partly because the sporting event started earlier, at six in the evening. Shortly after, there were already about ten arrests around the Parc des Princes. To prevent acts of vandalism, businesses on the Champs-Élysées closed and reinforced their shop windows shortly after noon.
The security deployment will continue throughout Sunday. The victory will not be celebrated this time on the Champs-Élysées avenue, as last year, but will take place at the Champ de Mars, the esplanade at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. About 100,000 people are expected. The team will be received earlier by Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée. “A great public celebration will take place at the Champ de Mars,” before the evening at the Parc des Princes, starting at 7:30 p.m., according to PSG.
French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the sporting victory on X: “A new star shines in Paris. Bravo to PSG who makes all of Europe vibrate, twice in a row!” “Paris is once again the capital of European football. Tonight, Paris is proud, let’s celebrate, with joy and respect,” said Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire.
