Pictures: Paris Saint-Germain fans set fire to cars and shops after losing the European Championship
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The French Metropolitan Police announced that it arrested 148 people due to riots after the city team Paris Saint-Germain lost 0-1 to Bayern Munich yesterday in the final match of the European Champions League in football.
St. Germain fans set cars on fire, smashed storefronts and clashed with police, according to security authorities.
Police said on Twitter that violence occurred around the Parc des Princes and on the Champs-Elysées during and after the match that took place last night.
Thousands of Paris Saint-Germain fans gathered in the "Parc des Princes" to support their team from a distance, as they were watching the match that took place in Lisbon through a giant screen.
An AFP correspondent said these riots lasted for several hours, as groups of fans threw bottles and fireworks at the police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Cars were set on fire on the Champs-Elysées, façades were smashed and shops were vandalized.
The police indicated that they arrested 148 people "especially for causing damage, violence or throwing projectiles."
Sixteen policemen were injured, 12 shops were attacked, and about 15 cars were damaged, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanan.
In a tweet, Darmanan condemned the "unacceptable" violence and thanked the police for arresting "small violent groups and rioters."
Social distancing measures were ignored both inside and outside the "Parc des Princes" stadium among fans who had hoped to see their team's first title in the most important competition on the continental level.
Police stated that 404 people were arrested for not wearing medical masks and adhering to regulations aimed at curbing the spread of the new Corona virus.