Paris: Clashes between football supporters and police across Paris left 219 people wounded after Paris St-Germain (PSG) beat Arsenal to win the Champions League, authorities said. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that eight of the injured were in serious condition.
Thousands of officers were sent in to quell unrest that disrupted bus, train and rail services in the capital. Fifty-seven police officers were among the injured, as reported by BBC.
Nuñez said 780 people had been arrested in connection with the disturbances, with more than 450 held in custody. A person was found dead following an accident on the Paris ring road after rioters attempted to block the motorway during the night.
Some 6,000 police were deployed for Sunday’s victory events, which began at the Eiffel Tower.
Celebrations Begin Calmly
Scenes around the Paris landmark appeared jubilant and orderly as a parade began at about 18:00 local time (17:00 BST), with large crowds lining the streets.
PSG players and staff rode through the Champ-de-Mars beside the Eiffel Tower before attending a reception hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. The club planned further festivities later at its Parc des Princes stadium.
Earlier in the day the interior minister warn
ed security forces would act decisively against violence.
“We are a great country for maintaining public order. We allow freedom of assembly, but not excesses,” he said.
Authorities acknowledged parallels with last year’s trophy celebrations, when similar disturbances turned fatal.
Mass police presence aimed to prevent repeat trouble as fans surged across the Champs-Élysées after PSG secured victory in a penalty shootout.
Video footage showed flares ignited, electric bikes ablaze in the streets and at least one shop window smashed. Police used tear gas to disperse crowds in the city centre.
Paris police said they made 480 arrests in the capital, placing 277 people in custody, including 82 minors.
The Paris prosecutor’s figures were provisional, and alleged offences ranged from assaults on officers and property damage to theft and illegal weapons possession.
Death On Ring Road Under Probe
The circumstances of a 24-year-old man’s death near Porte Maillot on the ring road remained unclear. Some witnesses reported he was riding a motorcycle when he collided with concrete blocks.
A teenager was also reported to be in a critical condition after a separate brawl in another part of Paris. Officials said it was not clear whether that incident was linked to the football-related unrest.
“The vast majority go out to celebrate and it goes very well,” the French interior minister said on Sunday.
“But other individuals, who are not PSG supporters, who don’t even watch the match, come to cause trouble and disturbances. We are here to prevent them from doing so. Our response is very firm.”
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen took to X to criticise the scenes, writing: “Only in France does a football club’s victory spark riots.”
“Only in France does everyone feel compelled to lock themselves in their homes on the evening of a victory to avoid being confronted with violence,” she said.