I was in the heart of PSG’s celebrations in Paris – it was a war zone with yobs throwing bottles and launching fireworks
OUTSIDE the Parc des Princes last night, it was carnage. Absolute carnage.
No sooner had the final whistle blown in Munich – as Paris Saint-Germain sealed a record-breaking 5-0 Champions League Final win over Inter Milan – the French capital erupted in celebration.
Those who live within a few-mile radius of the club’s home ground had prepared for the worst, sensibly boarding up their shops and cafes in anticipation of mass trouble, and it proved to be a wise decision.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly young men wearing PSG shirts, sprinted away from the club’s football ground and once they were outside of the wide police security perimeter, chaos ensued.
Motorists had to take evasive action coming off the motorway slip-roads as people dangerously spilled into the street, throwing flares into their path.
Soon, the traffic was completely stopped around Porte d’Auteuil as supporters started celebrating in the street – and even jumped on stationary cars.
Coaches were blocked from moving forward and it was a surprise nobody was run over in the bedlam and disorder.
One large truck did try to drive its way through the mayhem but dozens of blokes simply hitched a ride on the back.
The air around the ground filled with the sound of air horns and revving motorbikes.
Red and white flares were lit by bare-chested fans who either had scarves around their faces or dodgy cigarettes in their mouths.
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Smoke bombs were let off and some PSG Ultras brought along firework GUNS, shooting the pyrotechnics high into the Parisian sky at a frequent rate.
Though generally it was a mood of celebration and jubilation – it was the club’s first Champions League success after all – there were some inevitable casualties.
I saw one woman hurt and needing attention from friends while others cowered for cover as fans rushed forward.
Ambulances were called to the area and so, too, were fire trucks.
And your SunSport correspondent had to sprint away for safety at one point when some of the remnants of the fireworks landed too close for his comfort.
The streets around the Parc des Princes, not far from where the Roland Garros tennis takes place, are in a well-heeled area, an influential region similar to Kensington and Chelsea in West London.
Yet anyone living in nearby expensive flats, who had been hoping to get to sleep early, would have soon realised their misgivings as the partying went on for hours, and long after 1am.
Those who were walking back to the Metro station after watching Novak Djokovic’s win on Court Philippe-Chatrier must have thought they were walking in a war zone.
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Most of the yobs would not have lived in the local area themselves but they saw this European success as an excuse to break the law and cause disruption.
Some reckless parents even brought along their small children when really they should have all been at home.
What was surprising was the lack of a police presence to control the lawless situation.
There were reports of problems on the Champs-Élysées but in the well-to-do 16th arrondissement there was no police management or control.
Almost as if they thought, well we have our perimeter, that is all we are doing, but away from that, you are on your own, lads…
Local businesses are used to large numbers of people whenever PSG play at home but this was different – this was on a scale that locals had never seen before.
In any other situation, these scenes of unlawfulness would not be acceptable but because it is football, the authorities tend to shrug it off as what fans do to celebrate.
As someone who has reported on football matches for more than 23 years – and was a season-ticket holder at West Ham back in the 1990s – I’m not easily intimidated by these situations or by rowdy football crowds.
Yet you had to keep your wits about you as fireworks constantly went off and fans gathered in large numbers, smoking weed and sitting on bus stops.
I had sympathy for those families trapped in their cars as they were surrounded by groups of young men.
It could have all easily and quickly turned very nasty – imagine what it would have been like had Inter had won the final?
One or two individuals did throw bottles at the odd police van trying to drive through the streets. Shards of glass were scattered all over the pavements.
And inevitably, some poor souls will be the ones clearing up all the mess this morning left by the hooligans.