Celebrations across France marking Paris Saint‑Germain’s Champions League victory descended into widespread unrest, with authorities reporting 780 arrests nationwide after violent clashes, vandalism and a fatal road accident. What began as mass gatherings of jubilant fans in Paris and other major cities quickly escalated into confrontations with police, prompting one of the largest security responses to a sporting event in recent years.
Large crowds filled streets, public squares and fan zones after PSG’s win, particularly around the Champs‑Élysées and near the Parc des Princes stadium. Despite the deployment of 22,000 security personnel across the country, disturbances broke out as some groups set fires, damaged property and hurled objects at officers. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 57 police officers were injured, mostly with minor wounds, and confirmed that a small group even attempted to storm a Paris police station.
Authorities said the situation was eventually brought under control, stressing that most celebrations remained peaceful, but isolated pockets of violence caused significant disruption. Police intervened multiple times overnight to prevent crowds from blocking traffic on the Paris ring road, where a young man died in a motocross accident during the chaos. Another person was critically injured after being attacked with a bladed weapon.
Unrest was not limited to the capital. Nuñez reported incidents in around 15 cities, with “one to two” shops vandalised in each. Of the 780 people detained, 480 were arrested in the Paris region alone, reflecting the scale of disorder in the capital.
The clashes revived concerns about public safety during major sporting events, especially after similar disturbances followed PSG’s Champions League celebrations last year. Officials said investigations are underway and additional security reviews will be conducted to prevent a repeat of such violence.