One person died and more than 200 people were injured across France after celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain’s second consecutive UEFA Champions League triumph turned violent, according to the French Interior Ministry.
The unrest erupted after PSG defeated Arsenal in a penalty shootout in Budapest on Saturday to retain the European title. While thousands of supporters gathered in Paris and other cities to celebrate the victory, authorities reported widespread violence, vandalism and clashes overnight.
Fans returned to the streets on Sunday for a victory parade near the Eiffel Tower, where PSG players were greeted by large crowds. However, the celebrations were overshadowed by the violence that followed the match.
French authorities said 57 police officers were injured in Paris and more than 400 people were taken into custody, including some outside the capital. Several storefronts were damaged, while rioters set fire to cars and rental bicycles.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said there was also vandalism targeting public buildings in provincial cities, including Orleans. He noted that police were not specifically targeted in most areas, although brief clashes occurred outside a police station in central Paris on Saturday night.
A young man died in a motorcycle accident during the unrest, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said.
Nunez, who oversaw a security operation involving more than 20,000 officers, defended the response of law enforcement agencies.
“The situation was, overall, under control.”
The violence reignited political debate over public security ahead of France’s next presidential election.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, used the incidents to renew calls for tougher law-and-order measures.
“Only in France does a victory of a football club trigger riots,” she said.
Others argued that the violence reflected broader social tensions rather than football fan culture.
Raphael Glucksmann, who is considering a presidential run on a centre-left platform, said: “France is living under strain. Society is becoming increasingly brutal. We are a pressure cooker ready to explode anytime.”
The latest unrest follows similar scenes last year when celebrations after PSG’s first Champions League title were also marred by violence that left two people dead.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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