PSG’s Champions League win marred by night of violence and riots in Paris

PSG’s Champions League win marred by night of violence and riots in ParisParis Saint-Germain claimed a 6-5 Champions League semifinal win over Bayern Munich, but it erupted in domestic trouble.Nearly 130 people were arrested around Paris overnight as fans clashed with police following Paris-saint-germain" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="4147" data-entity-type="organization">Paris Saint-Germain reaching the Champions League final, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has said.He told Europe 1 radio on Thursday that the total number of arrests was 127 in the Paris metropolitan area, including 107 in Paris, after titleholder PSG eliminated Bayern Munich to reach a second straight final and third since 2020.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4It’s not cricket: Pakistan athletes allowed in India for multilateral sportlist 2 of 4Sabalenka, Gauff threaten player boycott of French Open over prize moneylist 3 of 4Taiwan player victim of ‘inappropriate contact’ at UK table tennis eventlist 4 of 4Iran’s football team shows World Cup readiness with social media postsend of listHe said there were 11 injuries among the rioters, including one serious injury caused to someone using a mortar, and 23 police officers sustained light injuries. Clashes took place outside PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium and on the Champs-Elysees as police dispersed groups and prevented the Paris ring road from being blocked by rioters.“I condemn this strongly, there are always hundreds of individuals responsible for these excesses during these festivities who look to clash with law enforcement,” Nunez said. “I would like to thank the police prefect and all of his teams who systematically intervened according to my instructions, and those of my predecessors.”He also praised them for preventing damage to property and looting of stores.Nunez said security would be increased for the May 30 final against Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary.Nunez appeared to reproach recently elected Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire – who regularly attends PSG games – for widely announcing the creation of a fan zone in Paris for the final without consulting the police beforehand.“We need to see where this fan zone will be organised,” Nunez added.Riot police near the Eiffel Tower in the French capital [Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters]A history of football violence in Paris and beyondRiots have been common in Paris and elsewhere in France in recent years.