Two fans died and a police officer remains in a coma following mass celebrations across France after Paris Saint-Germain’s historic Champions League victory, French authorities said Sunday.
The tragic incidents cast a shadow over a night of jubilation, as PSG claimed its first Champions League title with a commanding 5-0 win over Inter Milan. The Eiffel Tower lit up in team colors, and supporters flooded the streets in celebration.
While most of the revelry was peaceful, isolated outbreaks of violence marred the occasion.
PSG condemned the incidents as the team returned home Sunday for a victory parade in the capital.
“This title should be a moment of collective joy,” the club said in a statement. “These isolated acts are contrary to the club’s values and do not represent the vast majority of our fans.”
A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the western city of Dax during a PSG street party after Saturday night's final in Munich, the national police service said. A man in his 20s was killed in Paris when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations. The driver has been detained, Paris police said. The circumstances of both deaths are under investigation.
A police officer was hit by fireworks at a PSG gathering in Coutances, in northwestern France, and placed in an artificial coma because of serious eye injuries, the national police said. A total of 201 people were injured around the capital, four of them seriously, according to Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez.
In the Alpine city of Grenoble, a driver ran into pedestrians gathered for PSG celebrations, injuring three or four people, the regional prosecutor’s office said. The driver was detained. The city also saw fans throwing projectiles at firefighters, prompting police to use dispersion grenades.
The team and French officials hope Sunday’s events will center on celebration rather than violence. Up to 110,000 people were allowed along the Champs-Elysees for a parade. Later, the team was scheduled to join fans at PSG’s home stadium, Parc des Princes, for a concert, light show and official trophy presentation.
PSG arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport at around 4:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. GMT). Club captain Marquinhos and president Nasser Al-Khelaifi held the Champions League trophy aloft as they disembarked.
A wide swath of central Paris was closed to traffic for the occasion. The security measures also affected the nearby French Open.
Thousands of police were deployed to maintain order, employing similar tactics as Saturday night, Nunez told reporters. AP journalists saw tear gas used near the stadium and water cannons deployed near the Arc de Triomphe to disperse unruly crowds.
In addition to the injuries and arrests, Nunez said four stores were looted overnight. Firefighters, overwhelmed by calls, extinguished dozens of garbage can fires during the celebrations, causing the emergency hotline to become overloaded.
By 2 a.m. Sunday, 294 arrests had been made, including 30 people who broke into a shoe store on the Champs-Elysees. Two cars were set on fire near Parc des Princes, police added.
At the Place de la Bastille, fans climbed the base of the famous column, singing, dancing and setting off flares while others cheered and joined in.
Motorbikes revved their engines and circled the monument to applause. There were no police present at the time, and by 1 a.m., the mood remained festive with no signs of tension.
Nunez blamed the scattered unrest on "thousands of people who came to commit acts of violence" rather than watch the match. He noted similar disturbances followed France’s World Cup win in 2018.
