France is taking a hard look at the fallout from what should have been a night of unbridled celebration, as the country reckons with the violence, damage and loss of life that followed Paris Saint-Germain’s emphatic Champions League win against Inter Milan on Saturday.
PSG’s unprecedented 5-0 triumph over Inter Milan in Munich on Saturday night – their first-ever European title – should have been a unifying moment for the French nation.
The performance was hailed as “sublime” by President Emmanuel Macron, and 11.5 million fans across the country tuned in to watch history unfold.
But as fireworks lit the skies, flames erupted on the streets.
By Monday, the post-match glow had faded, replaced by a sombre national reckoning.
French president Macron hails PSG's Champions League triumph at Elysée reception
Two killed, hundreds arrested
Nearly 600 arrests were made across the country, with 79 people detained in Paris alone during a second wave of disorder on Sunday.
In total, more than 200 vehicles were torched, businesses vandalised, and fireworks turned into dangerous projectiles – including one that left a police officer in an induced coma.
The violence claimed two lives: a 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in Dax in the southwest, and a 23-year-old man died after being struck by a vehicle in central Paris.
Dozens of police officers and firefighters were injured in the unrest.
'Malicious intent'
Ahead of the match, Paris police prefect Laurent Nunez went to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to "inspect the system and to greet the law enforcement and emergency services put in place," as posted on X.
However, speaking to RTL radio after the game, Nunez said that many of those arrested had no real connection to PSG or football at all.
The Paris police chief mentioned "four or five incidents of looting" during the weekend, specifying that the services are in the process of compiling an exhaustive inventory of the damage to businesses, "and there is quite a lot of it."
"We saw a resurgence of individuals driven by malicious intent," Nunez said. "Public order was restored by dawn, but the damage had been done."
Thousands expected along Champs-Elysées for PSG's Champions League victory gala
President Macron, hosting the PSG squad at the Élysée Palace on Sunday, did not hold back in his condemnation.
"The violent clashes are unacceptable and have come at a heavy cost,” he said. “We will pursue, we will punish, we will be relentless."
He praised the team for speaking out swiftly against the violence, and made a point of recognising the "exemplary" behaviour of most fans.
RN look to score 'political points'
Even so, political tensions have surged in the wake of the chaos.
Far-right leader Jordan Bardella accused Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau of gross mismanagement, calling the scenes in Paris a "fiasco" and accusing the government of underestimating the risks.
The National Rally (RN) claims the police presence – though numbering over 5,400 officers – was "insufficient".
Retailleau fired back, insisting that policing alone cannot solve deeper societal problems.
"The response cannot be solely security-based," he said, accusing the RN of exploiting the moment for political gain.
For their part, the far-left group France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) demanded "accountability" from the government over its handling of the events.
