Riots erupt in Paris as police use tear gas and baton charges

Rioting erupted in Paris tonight following the city’s biggest football club losing the European Cup final.

Tear gas and baton charges were used by French police on thousands of Paris Saint Germain football fans following the 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League game.

Despite France’s capital being a Coronavirus red zone, crowds had built up around the Parc de Princes, PSG’s home ground, and on the Champs Elysee.

‘Trouble started before the final whistle,’ said a fan at the Parc des Princes. ‘Riot police were out in force, and they came under attack when PSG went one-nil down.’

As he spoke, scores of tear gas cannisters were aimed at fans, who fired red flares and fireworks back.

Videos posted on Twitter showed the concourse around the Parc looking and sounding like a war zone.

At one stage a white police vehicle was attacked by a small group of fans – prompting police to move in.

Riot police were also involved in skirmishes with gangs of youths in other parts of the city, including packed cafés, were arrests were made.

Fans had wandered onto busy roads waving flags and scarves, and forcing the traffic to stop.

Large crowds also appeared at the PSG home ground – Parc des Princes in the west of the City.

Paris has introduced some of the strictest Covid-19 measures in Europe in recent days, including making masks obligatory in many public spaces.

There has been a spike in cases of the respiratory disease across France, meaning it is now on Britain’s quarantine list, meaning anyone coming back to the UK from the country has to self-isolate for 14 days.

Despite this, thousands of PSG fans were on the street, and there were 3000 police and gendarmes trying to keep order.

The game had been played behind closed doors in Lisbon because of the pandemic, meaning millions watching around the world on television.

Paris Saint-Germain fans gathered in their numbers in the French capital as the club chased the first ever Champions League triumph in their history against Bayern Munich in Lisbon.

Hoards of fans have been pictured gathered outside the club’s Parc des Princes stadium on Sunday, with flares set off, flags on display and loud drums being played by the French champion’s ultras.

Football is being played behind closed doors due to the increased risk of the spread of the deadly disease, and the images of fans grouped together outside the ground may provide cause for concern, with France having the fourth-highest infection rate across Europe at the time of writing.

5,000 supporters were also allowed to watch the game inside the stadium during the momentous occasion on Sunday, with pictures showing that most fans were close together to watch the game.

Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Co. are looking to guide the French outfit to their first Champions League triumph in the club’s history as they take on Bayern Munich.

The Ligue 1 champions looked strong in the mini-tournament in Lisbon, seeing off Atalanta and RB Leipzig to reach the competition’s final for the first time.

Bayern Munich, meanwhile, have been in tremendous form in Europe this season, and were excellent when they beat Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter finals last week.