One dead and almost 800 arrested in France for PSG Champions League celebrations
Thousands of prisoners will receive the team trained by Luis Enrique after their victory in Budapest
BarcelonaThe triumph of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final led to a night of incidents in the French capital. While the team led by Luis Enrique celebrated retaining the title, incidents began in the streets of Paris that ended with the death of one person, a motorcyclist who fell. The French government announced 780 arrests – 457 of which were in police custody – 32% more than a year ago for the same celebration. In France, for years now, sporting successes, both of clubs and the national team, have ended in serious disturbances. In this case, 57 police officers were injured, as were 219 participants in the festivities, eight of whom were seriously injured. Of the 780 arrests, 480 took place in Paris.
According to a statement from the Prosecutor's Office, the initial indications suggest that the deceased driver, 24 years old, collided with concrete blocks at an exit from the ring road, near Porte Maillot. Furthermore, another person, aged 17, is in a very serious condition after being stabbed during a fight in western Paris.
Last year, when PSG celebrated their first Champions League after thrashing Inter Milan (5-0), authorities counted two deaths across France during celebrations, at least 192 injured (22 police officers and firefighters) and 559 arrested. "What is observed is that individuals who are not Paris Saint-Germain fans are coming. We have clearly seen them in Paris, but also in the provinces. They wear Paris Saint-Germain jerseys, but they don't even watch the match," lamented the Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez.
Nuñez thanked the work of law enforcement and security forces, especially considering the extreme heat conditions recorded on Saturday, and explained that they have acted "whenever there have been disturbances," in response to criticism the government has received from the far-right, which accuses the executive of inaction. France has a serious problem with organized groups that follow football clubs, which causes many matches to end in incidents. In the case of the events this past weekend, the government points to young people disconnected from ultra groups, who take advantage of a sporting success to cause riots. On other occasions, they had looted establishments in the Champs-Elysées area after victories by the national team.
Thousands of people will welcome the team's players in Paris after their victory in Budapest against Arsenal. Around 6,000 police officers have been deployed, a slightly smaller deployment than on the eve, when there were about 8,000 law enforcement officers, mostly concentrated on the Champs-Élysées. After nearly two hours of celebration with the fans, French President Emmanuel Macron will receive the footballers at the Élysée Palace. At 7:30 PM local time, a special reception evening for the champions will be held at the Parc des Princes.