PSG’s Champions League celebrations spark clashes in France; 416 people arrested, 7 police officers injured

More than 400 people were arrested across France and seven police officers were injured after celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League win turned violent, authorities said on Sunday.According to France’s interior ministry, 416 people were detained across the country, including 283 in Paris, after clashes broke out between police and supporters following PSG’s victory in the Champions League final in Budapest.Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said seven police officers were injured in the unrest and called the violence “absolutely unacceptable.”French authorities deployed around 22,000 police officers across the country to watch the games, including 8,000 in Paris, amid fears of possible unrest. Despite extensive safety measures, including the closure of several metro stations, tram lines and bus lines, large crowds gathered across the capital.Around 20,000 supporters gathered on the Champs Elysees after Paris Saint-Germain’s dramatic penalty shootout win, police said. Six vehicles and two businesses were damaged during the disturbance. A group of supporters also briefly blocked traffic on Paris’ ring road, known as the Periphery Road, while lighting flares.Tens of thousands of people watched the final on a big screen near PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, with thousands gathering outside before clashes broke out. Police said about 150 people tried to enter through one of the stadium’s gates but were blocked by police.Authorities also reported that projectiles and fireworks were thrown at police near the stadium, prompting police to respond with tear gas. A bakery and a restaurant were vandalized in the area, and police quickly cleared an attempt to create a roadblock using rental bicycles.Before the game, businesses along the Champs Elysées boarded up their windows to avoid a repeat of the riots that followed PSG’s Champions League win last year. Police seized about 100 fireworks and two dozen flares during the operation on Saturday night, and a bus shelter near the avenue was also destroyed.The violence drew criticism from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who wrote on X that “only in France does a football club’s victory spark riots.”Nunez defended the security arrangements, saying there was a “very strong, very reliable system” to curb the violence.PSG players are expected to take part in a victory parade near the Eiffel Tower on Sunday, expected to be attended by around 100,000 supporters, before being received by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.