Paris stages hero’s welcome for PSG Champions League winners under heavy security
PARIS: Paris staged a hero’s welcome for Paris Saint-Germain players who won their second consecutive Champions League title with celebrations planned in the capital under heavy security after a night of revelry marred by unrest. Paris Saint-Germain beat Arsenal on Saturday night in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw following extra-time. Thousands of people celebrated across France into the night but the parties were blighted by incidents of clashes with police, burglary, vandalism, a deadly road accident and hundreds of arrests, authorities said. On Sunday morning, municipal workers were busy cleaning streets strewn with debris from broken glass, damaged bus shelters, trash cans and vehicles set on fire and bicycles overturned. Authorities made security assurances on Sunday before a parade including the players on the Champs-de-Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower that was expected to draw tens of thousands of people. Thousands of PSG supporters were already waiting for the events to start, waving flags and sporting PSG kit as the team landed late from Budapest in the afternoon. “We’re still riding yesterday’s high, so we want to keep the party going,” said 25-year-old Abou, a PSG fan “since he was little.” “Paris, Paris” chanted supporters, many of them young, as they filtered through security checkpoints and tried to get spots near a stage where the players would appear, songs like “We Are the Champions” blaring. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez promised “a strong law enforcement response” during the players’ return celebrations and fines for “obstructing traffic” in the event of any intrusion onto the Paris ring road. Paris authorities said nearly 6,000 police and gendarmes