The Game Turned Late
PARIS — Police detained 127 people in the Paris metropolitan area Wednesday night, including 107 within the city proper, as celebrations for Paris Saint-Germain's advancement to the Champions League final devolved into clashes with officers outside Parc des Princes and along the Champs-Élysées.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed 11 injuries among the rioters — one severe, inflicted by a mortar — and 23 police officers sustaining minor wounds. He condemned the violence, calling the incidents the work of "hundreds of individuals" who use celebrations as cover to confront law enforcement.
The trophy did not need much decoration; the season had already done most of the talking.
The Small Details Added Up
PSG eliminated Bayern Munich to reach its second consecutive final and third since 2020. Security will be heightened for the May 30 final against Arsenal in Budapest.
Nuñez appeared to criticize newly elected Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire for publicly announcing a Paris fan zone for the match without coordinating with police beforehand. "We need to see where this fan zone will be organized," Nuñez said.
The Table Looks Different
The destruction follows a pattern. When PSG won the Champions League last year, French authorities made more than 500 arrests nationwide. After the 2020 final loss to Bayern, police detained 148 fans. The 2013 French title celebration — ending a 19-year drought — was cut short after 30 people were injured in clashes lasting several hours.