PSG victory celebrations turn violent: Paris fans clash with police, nearly 130 arrests made

Nearly 130 people were arrested near Paris as fans clashed with police after Paris Saint-Germain reached the Champions League final, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Thursday.

He told it Europe 1 radio that the total number of arrests reached 127 in the Paris metropolitan area, including 107 in Paris, after title holders PSG eliminated Bayern Munich to reach a second final in a row and third since 2020.

He said there were 11 injuries among the rioters, including one serious injury caused by someone using a mortar, and 23 police officers suffered minor injuries. Clashes took place outside PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium and on the Champs-Élysées as police dispersed groups and prevented rioters from closing Paris’s ring road.

“I strongly condemn this. There are always hundreds of individuals responsible for these excesses during these festivities and who want to clash with law enforcement,” Nuñez said. “I would like to thank the police prefect and all his teams who systematically intervened according to my instructions, and those of my predecessors.”

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He also praised them for preventing property damage and the eventual looting of shops.

Nuñez said security would be increased for the May 30 final against Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary.

Nunez appeared to blame recently elected Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire – who regularly attends PSG matches – for widely announcing the creation of a fan zone in Paris for the final without consulting police beforehand.

“We have to see where this fan zone will be organized,” Nuñez added.

A history of fan violence in France

Riots have been an everyday occurrence in Paris and elsewhere in France in recent years.

When PSG won the Champions League last year, police made more than 500 arrests across France. A man in his 20s was killed in Paris when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations.

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The problems continued the next day.

Paris police arrested 148 people after fans clashed with officers and smashed cars and shop windows after the club lost the 2020 final to Bayern.

When PSG won the French title in 2013 – ending a 19-year wait – celebrations were cut short on Monday after violent scenes in which fans fought with riot police for hours, leaving 30 people injured.

There were also incidents on the Champs-Élysées after Algeria’s victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019, and in 2021 after a match between Morocco and Algeria in the Arab Cup, and in 2022 after France and Morocco both qualified for the World Cup semi-finals on the same day.

Published on May 7, 2026