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European Champions watch their city burn: PSG's 2nd UCL title celebrations turn ugly as fans take to vandalism, violence
After PSG's Champions League victory over Arsenal, Paris witnessed unrest with vandalism and clashes between fans and police.
PSG retained the Champions League on Saturday night, beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Budapest's Puskás Aréna. Kai Havertz had put Arsenal ahead after just five minutes before Ousmane Dembélé equalised from the spot in the 62nd minute, the Ballon d'Or winner sending David Raya the wrong way after Kvaratskhelia was fouled inside the box. Neither side could be separated through extra time, and in the shootout, it was Gabriel Magalhães who missed Arsenal's fifth and final penalty, handing PSG the trophy for a second consecutive year.
Back in Paris, the streets had already been filling up.
Around 20,000 supporters converged on the Champs-Élysées, marching along the avenues near the Arc de Triomphe, setting off flares and blaring car horns. Tens of thousands more had packed into Parc des Princes to watch the final on giant screens. Shops along the Champs-Élysées had boarded up their windows before kickoff, bracing for a repeat of last year's ransacking. The precaution proved justified.
The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances across multiple locations - shops were vandalised, fires were set, and six vehicles were set ablaze. Near Parc des Princes, 4,000 to 5,000 people loitered outside the stadium, throwing projectiles at officers, and around 150 attempted to breach one of the stadium gates before police pushed them back. A bus shelter was destroyed near the Champs-Élysées. Officers seized 24 flares and roughly 100 fireworks. A bakery and a restaurant near the stadium were among the businesses damaged. Clashes broke out between police and supporters, with officers responding with tear gas when fireworks were thrown at them. The Périphérique, Paris's ring road, was stormed by a group of fans who brought traffic to a halt, set off flares, and were dispersed by police. Seven officers were wounded. By the end of the night, 283 people had been detained in Paris and 416 nationwide.
Also Read: PSG outclass Arsenal on penalties to win Champions League for second year in a row
A city braced, and still burned
French authorities had prepared for the worst. Some 22,000 police were deployed across France for the match, including 8,000 in Paris alone. Tram lines were halted, metro stations shuttered, and bus routes suspended in parts of the city to limit crowd movement. It was the most significant security operation the capital had mounted for a football night since last year, when PSG's first Champions League win left 201 people injured in Paris, more than 500 arrested across France, and 264 vehicles burned.
Interior minister Laurent Nunez said the unrest was "absolutely unacceptable" while maintaining that a "very robust, very solid system" had been in place. The far right was less measured. Marine Le Pen wrote on X that "only in France does a football club's victory spark riots" and that citizens felt compelled to lock themselves indoors on a night that should have been cause for celebration.
PSG condemned what had happened. "This title of European champion should be a moment of collective joy, not of agitation or excesses," the club said, calling the violent acts contrary to its values and not representative of the majority of its supporters.
On Saturday night, Macron posted on X: "A new star is shining over Paris. France is proud." On Sunday, he is scheduled to receive the squad at the Élysée Palace following a victory parade at the Champs-de-Mars, with around 100,000 fans expected.
