TWO DEAD, MANY INJURED, 559 ARRESTED DURING PSG CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TRIUMPH (PHOTOS)
Read Time:2 Minute, 54 Second
By: Sefiu Ajape
Two people have tragically lost their lives and hundreds were arrested across France overnight as celebrations erupted following Paris Saint-Germain’s emphatic Champions League final win, the interior ministry announced on Sunday.
Paris became the heart of the jubilant scenes, filled with blaring car horns, cheering crowds, fireworks, and street celebrations after PSG’s 5-0 rout of Inter Milan in Munich.
According to the ministry, 491 individuals were arrested in the capital as thousands gathered on the Champs-Élysées, where clashes later broke out between revelers and police.
Nationwide, including Paris, the total number of arrests reached 559.
Tragically, two fatalities were recorded during the festivities.
In Paris, a man riding a scooter died after being struck by a car in the city’s 15th arrondissement, just a few kilometers from the Champs-Élysées.
Meanwhile, in the southwestern town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed during a celebration, according to local prosecutors.
His death occurred shortly after the match and “during the celebrations,” but the prosecutor’s office said it did not know whether it was related to the Champions League final. It added that the perpetrator was “on the run.”
The PSG team was to hold a victory parade on the Champs-Élysées on Sunday, with tens of thousands of supporters expected to gather to catch a glimpse of their returning heroes.
Overnight, though, AFP journalists saw police on the famed thoroughfare using a water cannon to stop a crowd reaching the Arc de Triomphe that sits at the top of the Champs-Élysées.
“Troublemakers on the Champs-Élysées were looking to create incidents and repeatedly came into contact with police by throwing large fireworks and other objects,” police said in a statement.
Elsewhere, police said a car careered into fans celebrating PSG’s win in Grenoble in southeastern France, 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 said it was believed the driver had not acted intentionally.
The public prosecutor’s office said the driver had tested negative for alcohol and drugs.
– ‘Day of glory’ –
The majority of fans celebrated peacefully, but police in Paris said scuffles broke out near the Champs-Élysées avenue, and around PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, where 48,000 had watched the 5-0 win on giant screens.
Most of those arrested in the capital were suspected of illegally possessing fireworks and causing disorder, police said.
The PSG victory meant the club won the biggest prize in European club football for the first time in their history.
One 20-year-old PSG supporter, Clement, said: “It’s so good and so deserved! We have a song that talks about our struggles, and it hasn’t always been easy.
“But we got our faith back this year with a team without stars. They’re 11 guys who play for each other.”
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he would host the victorious players on Sunday to congratulate them.
In a message on X, Macron hailed a “day of glory for PSG.”
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo hailed it as a “historic” win.
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+
AFP
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0