Two people have died and hundreds have been arrested amid violence on the streets of France, which have marred Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final victory and provoked political recriminations.
Cars were torched as flares and fireworks were set off while supporters clashed with police in the French capital on Saturday night after the match in Munich.
Police arrested 491 people in Paris when crowds converged on the Champs-Élysées avenue, the French interior ministry said on Sunday. A further 68 people were arrested across France.
Police were investigating whether two deaths were also linked to the unrest. They included a 17-year-old boy who died after he was reportedly stabbed in the chest late on Saturday evening in the south-west town of Dax. A man, 23, who was riding a scooter in central Paris was also killed after being hit by a vehicle, according to French authorities.
The interior ministry said 18 police officers in Paris had been injured, along with three elsewhere in France, as were 192 people celebrating in the streets. Seven fire-service personnel had also been hurt.
A police officer was placed in an induced coma in France’s Normandy region after being injured by fireworks. The officer was struck in the eye after a firework went off accidentally, a police source told Agence France-Presse. The agency said 692 fires were reported through the night, including 264 cars that were set ablaze.
Most Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans peacefully celebrated what was their club’s first Champions League win after their 5-0 victory over Inter Milan, and a parade on Sunday evening on the Champs-Élysées passed without any significant incidents.
The players were also due to be hosted by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who is a fan of Olympique de Marseille.
PSG condemned the earlier violence “in the strongest possible terms” on Sunday, adding that winning the title “should be a moment of collective joy, not of unrest and disorder”.
“These isolated acts are contrary to the club’s values and in no way represent the vast majority of our supporters, whose exemplary behaviour throughout the season deserves to be commended,” the club said on social media as it called on “everyone” to “show responsibility and respect” during the parade on the Champs-Élysées.
But a political row broke out over the policing of Saturday night’s events as football once again became a backdrop for tensions in French society.
France’s interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, posted on social media on Saturday after the game: “True PSG fans are getting excited about their team’s magnificent performance. Meanwhile, barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris to commit crimes and provoke law enforcement … It is unbearable that it is not possible to party without fearing the savagery of a minority of thugs who respect nothing.”
Antoine Léaument, a member of the radical left party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), criticised the use of teargas on the Champs-Élysées and questioned its use against what he described as a “peaceful gathering”.
“Bruno Retailleau uses barbaric methods. Firing teargas into a crowd is extremely dangerous. He is responsible for the chaos,” Léaument said on X, where he posted a video showing himself and others amid teargas on the avenue on Saturday night.
Jordan Bardella, the president of the far-right party Rassemblement National (National Rally), sought to make political capital out of the unrest, claiming that Paris had become “a playground for thugs”.
Many of the stars of the team, one of the youngest in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs, which have also become a focal point for claims of lawlessness by the far right.
About 5,400 police were deployed across the city for the post-match celebrations, with officers on the Champs-Élysées using teargas as well as pepper spray.
A police spokesperson said a car was set alight near the Parc des Princes stadium, PSG’s home ground, where 48,000 had watched the match on big screens. Several dozen arrests had been made by the time the match ended, Reuters reported.
In Grenoble in south-east France, a car careened into fans celebrating PSG’s win, leaving four people injured, two of them seriously. All of those hurt were from the same family, police said. The driver handed himself in to the police and was placed under arrest. A source close to the investigation told AFP that it was believed the crash was not deliberate.
Earlier on Saturday, PSG and Inter Milan supporters threw stones at each other at Fröttmaning station in Munich while travelling to the Allianz arena for the final, Bild reported. They also caused travel disruption by making their way on to train tracks, according to reports.
A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match, according to figures given by the Mediametrie audience-measurement company and one of the broadcasters, Canal+.
