Paris Saint-Germain secured their spot in the UEFA Champions League final with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, but the celebrations that followed were overshadowed by widespread disturbances across the French capital.
While the football world applauded PSG's progression to the May 30 final in Budapest, the scenes on the streets of Paris told a different story. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that 127 arrests were made in the broader Paris region, with 107 of those occurring within the city limits. The night of unrest left 11 people injured—one seriously—along with 23 police officers sustaining minor injuries.
It wasn't all chaos, however. Many fans gathered peacefully to celebrate the club's achievement, including Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, who watched the match with hundreds of supporters—many of them children—at his headquarters in the Hôtel de Ville. But as the night wore on, trouble flared in other parts of the city.
Dozens of bins and several cars were set ablaze, and police deployed tear gas to disperse crowds approaching the Parc des Princes stadium. "I condemn these excesses which are sadly becoming a common occurrence on nights when Paris Saint-Germain win," Nuñez told Europe 1 radio, expressing frustration at the recurring pattern of violence.
While Wednesday's disturbances were less severe than last season's post-final chaos—when hundreds were arrested and two people died in related incidents—the violence still cast a shadow over PSG's achievement. One person suffered serious injuries from a mortar firework, and authorities reported that hundreds of individuals had attempted to target police and loot local businesses. A planned blockade of the Paris ring road, the périphérique, was successfully thwarted by law enforcement.
The damage extended beyond the streets. Renowned photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand shared a video showing the aftermath at his outdoor exhibition in the Place de la Concorde, where all display panels had been overturned and many pictures vandalized.
With more than 5,000 police deployed in Paris ahead of the match—a stark reminder of last season's events—the authorities were prepared for trouble. Yet for PSG fans looking forward to another shot at European glory, the hope remains that the final whistle in Budapest will be followed by celebrations worthy of the beautiful game.