Online Reporter
AT LEAST 235 football fans were arrested in central Paris last night as thousands of supporters went on the rampage following PSG’s victory against Arsenal in the Champions League final.
Rioting broke out as early as the first half of the crunch match, which Arsenal agonisingly lost on penalties as the game slowly slipped out of their grasp. The worst trouble was in the Chatelet area of the city, between Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre museum on Saturday night.
Kai Havertz fired Arsenal ahead in sixth minute of the final sparking the first scenes of chaos from the French fans back home in Paris.
“The trouble started as soon as Arsenal went one-nil up,” said an onlooker. Chairs and bottles were thrown at the police, who then moved in to make arrests.”
Some Paris St Germain fans managed to climb up scaffolding on a building close to the Rue de Rivoli – one of the main shopping streets in the French capital.
This led to futher trouble as officers tried to get them down. There were further skirmishes throughout the first half of the game, as some cafes turned off their televisions.
Despite the early setback, PSG managed to triumph in the end on penalties after equalising in the second half and dominating possession and chances.
It went down to the dreaded shootout and Eze and Gabriel missed spot-kicks for Arteta’s men with the latter blazing it high and ugly.
More than 40,000 people watched the club win its second consecutive title on giant screens at the Parc de Princes stadium in Western Paris.
But PSG supporters were seen getting arrested in Paris with the game still having over 45 minutes left to play.
Cops said they have already made more than 235 arrests in the capital, with a police spokesperson adding that multiple vehicles and storefronts were damaged in the chaos.
And according to the French interior ministry, 326 people were detained nationwide.
Thousands of people had also been stopped and searched by the police as the game ended. Weapons and fireworks were among the items confiscated by officers.
Hundreds of tourists visiting nearby monuments such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre museum were caught up in the trouble.
There were around 5,000 police and gendarmes on the streets of Paris on Saturday to police crowds gathering to watch the Budapest final at home. – Sun
