24th August, 2020
By Muhaimin Olowoporoku
French police have arrested as much as 148 people after PSG fans clashed with officers, smashing vehicles and store windows following the football club loss to Bayern Munich in the Uefa Champions League final.
Alongside the arrest, 404 fans were also fined for not wearing masks, a Paris police spokesman said on Monday and was confirmed by the country’s Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin.
Au cours de la soirée de la finale de la Ligue des Champions, les forces de l'ordre ont procédé à :
– 148 interpellations, notamment pour dégradations, violences ou jets de projectiles sur les #FDO…
– 404 verbalisations pour non port du masque sur secteur de port obligatoire. pic.twitter.com/W0W7gFn9zP— Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) August 24, 2020
France Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin in a tweet revealed this and said further that 16 police officers were injured in the Sunday night skirmishes with 12 stores attacked and 15 vehicles damaged. However, the number of injured fans has not been estimated by the Police.
La sauvagerie de certains délinquants cette nuit : 16 agents des forces de l’ordre blessés, 12 magasins attaqués, une quinzaine de véhicules dégradés. Merci aux force de l’ordre de leurs interventions : 148 interpellations dont 108 gardes a vue à la disposition de la justice.
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) August 24, 2020
PSG on Sunday was getting involved in their first-ever Champions League final with high hopes of becoming the second French club to win the UCL trophy after Marseille.
Reportedly, the scuffle started around the stadium as fans were chanting and lightning flares. However, it escalated spilling into the street in the city centre.
The police used tear gas to disperse fans who gathered outside PSG stadium as the match was beamed on two giant screens at Parc des Princes, with 5,000 fans allowed inside.