PSG's Victory Parade Ends in Tragedy amid Deadly Celebrations

Waving blue and red, jubilant supporters lined the Champs-Elysees as the team rolled in from Munich, where it crushed Inter Milan 5-0 to capture European club soccer’s most coveted prize. The atmosphere was electric but contained, with fans penned behind barricades and riot police standing watch.

Cheers erupted as the bus came into view. Captain Marquinhos hoisted the gleaming trophy aloft before passing it along the line of elated players. Coach Luis Enrique led supporters in club chants, while star forward Ousmane Dembele charmed the crowd with air-blown kisses.

The celebration continued at the Elysee Palace, where President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron welcomed the squad, decked out in PSG uniforms and tracksuits, for a moment of national pride that was both triumphant and sobering.After leaving the Elysee, the players arrived at their home stadium, the Parc des Princes, for a concert, light show and presentation of the trophy. Fans inside the 49,000-seat stadium sang “Champions d'Europe” (“Champions of Europe”) as they waited for the ceremony to begin.

Former club stalwarts like winger Jerome Rothen and right back Bernard Mendy warmed up the crowd.

Rothen joked about PSG becoming the first French side to win two European trophies – a wry dig at bitter rival Marseille, which until Saturday night was the only French club to win the Champions League and reminded PSG every year with the slogan “A jamais les premiers” (“Forever the first”).

Only PSG and Marseille, which was also runner-up in 1991, have won the Champions League. Monaco in 2004 and PSG in 2020 reached the final. PSG won the now-defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996 – hence Rothen’s reference.

The overnight fatalities marred a night of exuberance after PSG clinched its first – and long-awaited – Champions League title. The Eiffel Tower glowed in team colors and fans partied through the night.

PSG denounced the violence. “These isolated acts are contrary to the club's values and don’t at all represent the immense majority of our fans,” PSG said in a statement.

Celebrations were largely peaceful but turned violent in some areas.

A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the western city of Dax during a PSG street party after Saturday night’s final in Munich, the national police service said. The regional prosecutor said the killing did not appear to be linked to the match. In Paris, a man in his 20s was killed when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations, and the driver was detained, Paris police said. The circumstances of both incidents are under investigation.

A police officer was accidentally struck by fireworks at a PSG gathering in Coutances in northwest France and was placed in an artificial coma due to serious eye injuries, the national police said. A total of 201 people were injured around the capital, four of them seriously, according to Paris police chief Laurent Nunez.

In the Alpine city of Grenoble, a driver ran into pedestrians gathered for a PSG celebration, injuring three or four people, the regional prosecutor’s office said. The driver was detained. The city also saw fans throwing projectiles at firefighters and police using dispersal grenades.

Up to 110,000 people were allowed along the iconic, tree-lined Champs-Elysees for the parade.

A wide swath of central Paris was closed to traffic for the exceptional day. The security measures also impacted the French Open unfolding nearby.

Buses hoping to pick up fans at Roland Garros were held up in traffic while others rode past on scooters, honking horns and waving flags.

Thousands of police were deployed to maintain order using similar tactics to those on Saturday night, Nunez said. AP reporters saw tear gas used near the stadium and water cannons deployed near the Arc de Triomphe to disperse unruly crowds.

In addition to injuries and arrests, Nunez said four stores were looted overnight and firefighters extinguished garbage can fires and handled other emergencies.

By 2 a.m. Sunday, 294 arrests had been made, including 30 people who broke into a shoe store on the Champs-Elysees. Two cars were set on fire near Parc des Princes.

At the Place de la Bastille, joyous fans climbed onto the base of the famous column, singing, dancing and setting off flares, while crowds below joined in.

Nunez blamed the scattered unrest on “thousands of people who came to commit acts of violence” rather than to celebrate. He noted similar troubles during prior celebrations in the capital, such as after France’s World Cup victory in 2018.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau lamented the violence, saying: “I am angry today, like many French people. ... When parents panic because their child has gone out to celebrate a major sports victory, that’s unbearable.”

Source: Daily Sabah