Clashes after PSG eliminates Bayern
PARIS — Police detained 127 people around Paris overnight after fans clashed with officers following Paris Saint-Germain's advancement to the Champions League final, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Thursday.
Of those arrests, 107 occurred with in Paris city limits. Eleven rioters sustained injuries, including one serious injury involving someone's use of a mortar. Twenty-three police officers received minor injuries.
The scoreboard made the point with less ceremony than everyone around it.
Clashes erupted near the Parc des Princes stadium and along the Champs-Élysées as officers worked to disperse crowds and prevent the Paris ring road from being blocked.
Political tension over fan zone plan
Nuñez confirmed security would be increased for the May 30 final against Arsenal in Budapest. He also took aim at Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, who frequently attends PSG matches, for publicly announcing a Paris fan zone with out first consulting police.
"We need to see where this fan zone will be or ganized," Nuñez said.
The minister separately praised police for preventing property damage and potential looting during the disturbances.
A recurring pattern
Violence has repeatedly accompanied PSG-related celebrations in recent years. When PSG won the Champions League last year, authorities made more than 500 arrests across France. In 2020, police arrested 148 people after the club lost the final to Bayern Munich — including fans who smashed cars and store windows.
A man in his 20s died in Paris when his scooter was struck by a car during post-match celebrations that year. The trouble persisted into the following day.
PSG has now reached three Champions League finals since 2020, advancing past Bayern on Wednesday to set up the showdown in Budapest.