One dead and almost 800 arrested in France for PSG Champions League celebrations

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 winning 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 them in police custody – 32% more than a year ago for the same celebration. For years in France, sporting successes, both for clubs and the national team, have ended in serious riots. In this case, 57 police officers were injured, as well as 219 participants in the festivities, eight of whom seriously. 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 of the ring road, near Porte Maillot. Furthermore, another person, 17 years old, is in very serious condition after being stabbed during a fight in the west of 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 arrests. "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 riots," in a response aimed at criticisms 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 this weekend's events, the government points to young people disconnected from ultra groups, who take advantage of a sporting success to cause disturbances. On other occasions, they had looted establishments in the Champs-Elysées area after victories by the national team.

Thousands of people have welcomed the team's players in Paris after their triumph in Budapest against Arsenal. Around 6,000 police officers were deployed, a slightly smaller force than on the eve of the match, when there were around 8,000 law enforcement officers, concentrated mainly on the Champs-Élysées. After nearly two hours of celebration with the fans, French President Emmanuel Macron received the footballers at the Élysée Palace. "Unfortunately, we have seen unacceptable scenes of violence in Paris and other cities. Street violence is not football," he said, just as he was facing increased criticism from opposition parties, especially the far-right, for failing to prevent the riots. Macron, incidentally, showered praise on Luis Enrique. "I don't forget all the football experts who said it would be terrible when Luis Enrique arrived. Yesterday we saw a coach who was an extraordinary orchestra conductor. It's the best answer to all the criticism. The two stars," he said about the Asturian, one of the main protagonists of the day.