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Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory over Inter Milan led to euphoria across France as two people died and over 500 were arrested.
Fireworks explode on the Champs-Elysees avenue after the Champions League final (Picture credit: AP)
Two people died and hundreds were arrested in France overnight as football fanatics celebrated PSG’s brilliant Champions League final win against Inter Milan, the interior ministry reported on Sunday, June 1. The French team thrashed their Italian counterparts 5-0.
The epicentre of the madness was in Paris, which resounded with car horns, cheers, street singing and fireworks throughout the night after Paris Saint-Germain’s win against Inter in Munich.
The ministry said that around 500 people were arrested in Paris when crowds converged on the Champs-Élysées avenue and clashes erupted with officers.
Across France, including the capital, a total of 559 people were arrested. The two deaths occurred during the celebrations.
A man riding a motor scooter in the capital passed away after being hit by a car in Paris’ southern 15th arrondissement, just two kilometres (1.3 miles) from the Champs-Élysées.
In the southwestern town of Dax, a teenager was stabbed at a gathering celebrating Paris Saint-Germain’s win against Inter, prosecutors said.
The teenager’s death occurred after the game and “during the celebrations,” but the prosecutor’s office said that it was unclear whether it was related to the Champions League final.
The prosecutors added that the perpetrator was “on the run.” Paris Saint-Germain planned 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.
“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 reported that a car careered into fans celebrating Paris Saint-Germain’s victory over Inter in Grenoble in southeastern France, injuring four people, two of them seriously.
All of those hurt were from the same family, police said. The driver turned himself in to the police and was placed under arrest.
A source close to the investigation said that it was believed the driver hadn’t acted intentionally, as per a report in AFP.
The public prosecutor’s office said that the driver had tested negative for alcohol and drugs.
The majority of fans celebrated peacefully, but police in Paris reported fights near the Champs-Élysées avenue and around Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes stadium, where 48,000 had watched the 5-0 victory over Inter on giant screens.
Most of those arrested in Paris were suspected of possessing fireworks and causing disorder, police said.
The Paris Saint-Germain win marked the club’s first victory of the biggest prize in European club football.
Clement, a 20-year-old PSG supporter, 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.”
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced he would host the victorious players on Sunday to congratulate them.
In a message on X, Macron hailed a “day of glory for PSG.”
« Champion mon frère ! »Jour de gloire pour le PSG !Bravo, nous sommes tous fiers.Paris, capitale de l’Europe ce soir.— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 31, 2025
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo called it a “historic” victory.
A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the game, according to figures from the Mediametrie audience-measurement company and one of the broadcasters, Canal+.
(With AFP Inputs)
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