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French authorities detained 79 people during PSG’s celebrations for winning the UEFA Champions League.
Fans cheer during a parade on the Champs-Elysee avenue after PSG won the UEFA Champions League (AP)
French authorities detained 79 people in the second wave of arrests during celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) Champions League win, a police chief said on Monday.
PSG defeated Inter Milan 5-0 in the final held in Munich on Saturday evening. The team returned to Paris on Sunday for a triumphant parade along the Champs-Élysées, followed by celebrations at a packed Parc des Princes stadium on the outskirts of the French capital.
PSG’s victory, their first in Europe’s premier club football competition, triggered widespread celebrations in France, which were marred by violence.
On Sunday, “we saw a resurgence of individuals driven by malicious intent who were not really PSG supporters,” Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told RTL radio.
“We arrested 79 people, some of them during the night,” he said, adding that order had been restored before dawn.
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Those detained included individuals who removed barriers and briefly blocked the périphérique (Paris ring road), while others attempted to vandalise businesses or set off fireworks on the Champs-Élysées, he said.
On Saturday night, police made over 500 arrests across France, according to the Interior Ministry, following incidents where more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths.
In the southwestern town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest.
A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after being hit by a vehicle.
A policeman was placed in an induced coma after being injured by a firework.
French President Emmanuel Macron, receiving the triumphant team at the Élysée Palace on Sunday, condemned the “unacceptable” violence during the festivities.
Many of the team’s stars, who comprise one of the youngest squads in the competition, come from the vast football talent pool in the Parisian suburbs. This follows PSG’s Qatari owners’ shift away from signing star players like Neymar and Lionel Messi.
A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match.
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov… Read More
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