PSG's Champions League Victory Sparks French Riots: 780 Detained, 57 Police Officers Wounded

French police detained 780 people after violent clashes erupted in Paris and other French cities on Saturday night following Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League title win. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 57 police officers were wounded, most with minor injuries, as football fans set off fires, vandalized shops, and – in at least one case – tried to storm a police station.

Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Nuñez said "the situation has been largely brought under control." He noted that "most of the celebrations took place peacefully" across the French capital, but acknowledged that most incidents occurred in the Champs-Élysées neighborhood and near the Parc des Princes stadium in western Paris, where fans had gathered to watch the match. Police also intervened five times overnight to prevent people from blocking traffic on the main ring road around Paris.

Incidents took place in about 15 cities across France. Nuñez described "one to two" shops vandalized in each city outside Paris. Of the 780 people detained nationwide, 480 were in the Paris area alone. The Paris prosecutors' office said 277 people have been formally placed in police custody, including 82 minors. Most were arrested for assault on police officers, while other allegations include theft, vandalism, and disturbing public order.

One serious accident involved a driver losing control of a car that rammed into a restaurant terrace, leaving two people wounded, including one seriously, Nuñez said.

Fans began celebrating in Paris after the final whistle on Saturday evening in Budapest, where PSG defeated Arsenal on penalties in a dramatic final. Fans marched along the avenues near the Arc de Triomphe, with some setting off flares and blaring car horns. Approximately 20,000 people gathered on the Champs-Élysées, where police worked to contain the crowd. The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, vandalizing shops and setting fires to garbage and self-service bicycles in the streets. Cars were also set ablaze. Those who attempted to storm a police station in the upscale 8th Arrondissement were dispersed.

Despite the violence, Nuñez said planned celebrations for the team's win on Sunday afternoon at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, would go ahead as scheduled. He warned that police would respond with "firmness and determination" to any potential violence. The PSG team will then be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.

Last year, following PSG's first Champions League title, 201 people were injured in the French capital and police made more than 500 arrests across France. This year's figures are substantially higher: 780 detained, 57 officers wounded, and a nation once again asking why a football victory cannot simply be a football victory. The players will celebrate at the Eiffel Tower. The police will clean up the broken glass. And the fans who just wanted to cheer will wonder why some of their own had to ruin it for everyone else.