Paris police deployed thousands of officers to control crowds at some of the city’s hotspots, using teargas and arresting more than 130 people, after Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Arsenal in Saturday’s Champions League final.
Footage aired on the news channel BFM showed scenes of tensions and brief skirmishes around PSG’s Parc de Princes stadium in western Paris, where more than 40,000 people watched the club win its second consecutive title on penalties at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on giant screens.
By 11pm (9pm BST), police had made more than 130 arrests, Paris police said. A police spokesperson told Reuters that six vehicles and two storefronts had been damaged.
Some PSG fans aimed fireworks at police officers who responded with teargas during the celebrations, according to reports in France, while some were seen wearing T-shirts emblazoned with “FU*K ARSENAL 2026” as they stood next to burning Lime Bikes on the city’s streets.
Smoke was seen rising from several areas during the clashes.
Police were seen sprinting after groups of fans with riot gear and stamping out flares discarded on the road.
The interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, said there was a “very robust, very solid system in place” to curb violence.
A police spokesperson said: “Our responsibility is to guarantee everyone a festive celebration that is calm and fully secure.”
France has deployed 22,000 police to uphold order in the capital. Last year, two people died and close to 200 were injured after PSG won the Champions League for the first time by beating Inter Milan.
The Champs-Élysées boulevard, which authorities had partly cordoned off, was filling with mostly peaceful PSG fans, TV footage showed. Police estimated the crowd size at 20,000. Some supporters let off fireworks and lit flares.