Hundreds of people have been arrested in France after widespread rioting erupted following Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory over Arsenal, police said on Sunday, in one of the most violent post-match scenes in modern European football history.
Thousands of officers were deployed across Paris and other French cities as crowds of fans — many firing flares and setting off fireworks in the streets — celebrated PSG’s win. The scale of the unrest overwhelmed police in several districts, with officers deploying tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds that had turned destructive.
The Champions League final, held at Munich’s Allianz Arena, saw PSG defeat Arsenal 2-1 in extra time. Within minutes of the final whistle, celebrations in Paris descended into chaos. Police in the capital reported widespread use of pyrotechnics, shattered shop windows, overturned vehicles and confrontations between fans and officers in the Champs-Élysées district, around the Stade de France, and in Marseille, Lyon and other cities.
The French Interior Ministry said the total number of arrests had reached several hundred by Sunday morning, with the worst violence centred on Paris’s 10th and 18th arrondissements, where several cars were set ablaze and a police vehicle was overturned. At least 47 officers were injured, according to preliminary reports from the Préfecture de Police de Paris.
PSG’s victory — their second consecutive Champions League title — marks the club’s third European Cup in total and cements their status among the greatest clubs in European football history. Captain Marquinhos lifted the trophy to scenes of jubilation in Munich, but the celebration at home was overshadowed by scenes that Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau called “deeply unacceptable.”
“France showed its best side tonight — and also its worst,” Retailleau said in a statement released early Sunday. “Those who used this victory as a pretext for violence will face the full force of the law.”
The violence drew swift condemnation from political leaders across the spectrum. Prime Minister François Bayrou convened an emergency meeting of security officials on Sunday morning. President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Munich for the final as a guest of UEFA, returned to Paris to be briefed on the security situation.
In Arsenal, the defeat marks a painful near-miss for a club that came closer than ever to their first Champions League trophy in over a century of existence. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said from Munich: “We are devastated. But we can hold our heads high. This team gave everything.” Gunners fans had travelled in vast numbers from London, and scenes of quiet devastation were reported among supporters who had made the journey, even as the unrest around them spiralled.
French authorities said they were reviewing CCTV footage and social media to identify the most serious offenders, with the Interior Ministry confirming that a significant number of those arrested had no tickets for the match and were not PSG supporters. Riot police reinforcements were sent to major cities overnight, with a sustained security operation expected through Monday.
PSG’s star forward Ousmane Dembélé, who scored the winning goal in extra time, appealed for calm from Munich. “This is our night — let us celebrate with joy, not destruction,” he said. “Paris is our home. Respect it.”
Written by Anya Petrova, European Affairs Correspondent
Anya Petrova
Anya Petrova covers European politics, security, and EU institutional dynamics from Brussels.