Hundreds Arrested as Clashes Erupt in Paris on PSG Victory Night

Police try to disperses PSG supporters who left off fireworks as they celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that was played in Budapest, PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Police try to disperses PSG supporters who left off fireworks as they celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that was played in Budapest, PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
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Hundreds Arrested as Clashes Erupt in Paris on PSG Victory Night

Police try to disperses PSG supporters who left off fireworks as they celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that was played in Budapest, PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Police try to disperses PSG supporters who left off fireworks as they celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that was played in Budapest, PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

Police on Saturday detained more than 280 people in Paris after violent clashes erupted when thousands poured onto the streets during Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League final victory.

Some 22,000 police were deployed across France for the game, including 8,000 in Paris, after unrest marred PSG's win in the competition last year.

Paris tram lines were halted, several metro stations shut and bus traffic halted in places in a bid to minimize disturbances.

30 May 2026, Hungary, Budapest: Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele celebrates with the Champions League trophy following the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Arsenal at the Puskas Arena. Photo: Mike Egerton/PA Wire/dpa

According to the French interior ministry, 416 people were detained nationwide, including 283 who were apprehended in Paris. It was not immediately clear how many of these individuals were remanded in custody to face further investigation, AFP reported.

Interior minister Laurent Nunez said seven officers had been wounded and called the unrest "absolutely unacceptable."

Six vehicles and two businesses were damaged.

A group of supporters also stormed the Paris ring road, the peripherique, bringing traffic to a halt for a time and letting off flares, an AFP photographer said.

As fans celebrated the dramatic penalty shoot out victory in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, some 20,000 people converged on Paris's iconic Champs-Elysees avenue, police said.

Shops boarded up their windows ahead of the match to avoid a repeat of disturbances last year when youths ransacked shops on the Champs-Elysees and other streets. Hundreds of people were arrested.

Two dozen flares and about 100 fireworks were seized Saturday, while a bus shelter was destroyed near the Champs-Elysees.

The match also came on a hectic evening in Paris, with singer Aya Nakamura performing at the Stade de France national stadium, rapper Damso at the La Defense Arena and the French Open tennis in full swing.

Police said a bakery and a restaurant were damaged near PSG's Parc des Princes stadium, where tens of thousands gathered inside to watch the match but 4,000 to 5,000 people loitered outside with projectiles which were thrown at officers.

About 150 people "attempted to enter through one of the gates" at the stadium but police pushed them back, a police spokesperson said.

Some also attempted to erect a barricade with rental bikes which was cleared by police.

An AFP reporter at the scene said clashes broke out between police and supporters near the stadium, and officers responded with tear gas when fireworks were thrown at them.

PSG fans react in Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, 30 May 2026. EPA/VALENTINA CAMU

The scenes angered the French far right, with three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen writing on X that "only in France does a football club's victory spark riots."

"Only in France does everyone feel compelled to lock themselves in their homes on the evening of a victory to avoid being confronted with violence," she added.

Nunez said there was a "very robust, very solid system in place" to curb violence.

"Our responsibility is to guarantee everyone a festive celebration that is calm and fully secure," a police spokesperson said.

The players will take part in a parade on Sunday afternoon on the Champs-de-Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower with some 100,000 people expected, before being received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.



FIFA Postpones FIFAe Finals in Saudi Arabia

The FIFA logo is seen before the FIFA Council meeting at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, 15 October 2026.  EPA/CLAUDIO THOMA
The FIFA logo is seen before the FIFA Council meeting at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, 15 October 2026. EPA/CLAUDIO THOMA
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FIFA Postpones FIFAe Finals in Saudi Arabia

The FIFA logo is seen before the FIFA Council meeting at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, 15 October 2026.  EPA/CLAUDIO THOMA
The FIFA logo is seen before the FIFA Council meeting at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, 15 October 2026. EPA/CLAUDIO THOMA

FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation have postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026 scheduled to take place in Jeddah from October 16 to 25, organizers said on Thursday.

"The decision follows an assessment ⁠of recent developments ⁠in the region and their impact on the logistical arrangements required to stage the tournament," organizers of the global video game tournament said.

"Further announcements on the FIFAe Finals will be communicated in due course."

FIFA expressed its appreciation to the Kingdom and the Saudi Esports Federation for their support and cooperation in preparations for the FIFAe Finals 2026, building on Saudi Arabia’s successful hosting of previous editions of the tournament.


Malaysia Says Considering Bringing F1 Race Back

A man wearing a face mask takes a photo with his phone, with Kuala Lumpur’s skyline in the background shrouded in haze from regional wildfires, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain
A man wearing a face mask takes a photo with his phone, with Kuala Lumpur’s skyline in the background shrouded in haze from regional wildfires, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain
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Malaysia Says Considering Bringing F1 Race Back

A man wearing a face mask takes a photo with his phone, with Kuala Lumpur’s skyline in the background shrouded in haze from regional wildfires, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain
A man wearing a face mask takes a photo with his phone, with Kuala Lumpur’s skyline in the background shrouded in haze from regional wildfires, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain

Malaysia is considering returning as a regular host of a Formula One race, either annually or once every few years, with the government assessing the costs and economic benefits, its sports minister said on Thursday.

Malaysia's Sepang circuit had hosted a leg of the Formula One championship annually between 1999 and 2017 before being dropped from the calendar amid declining ticket sales and ⁠concerns over rising ⁠hosting costs

It returned earlier this month as a one-off host for a rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix, after the race was cancelled at its original venue due to ongoing tensions in the Middle ⁠East.

Discussions on bringing the race regularly back to Malaysia were still at an early stage, including a proposal to host it once every few years in partnership with another country, Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Taufiq Johari told parliament.

An assessment report was expected to be submitted to cabinet by November, Reuters quoted him as saying.

"Staging F1 is ⁠not ⁠cheap. It involves quite substantial costs, and there are several important aspects that we need to assess," he said.

While this month's event was estimated to have generated around 950 million ringgit ($233 million) in economic returns, the government would need to consider if "we would obtain the same returns (every year), and whether we are ready in terms of the various infrastructure requirements," he said.


Franco Colapinto Calls Out his Fans for Social Media Attacks on F1 Rivals

Alpine's Argentine driver Franco Colapinto (R) drives in front of Williams' Thai driver Alexander Albon during the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on October 11, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
Alpine's Argentine driver Franco Colapinto (R) drives in front of Williams' Thai driver Alexander Albon during the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on October 11, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
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Franco Colapinto Calls Out his Fans for Social Media Attacks on F1 Rivals

Alpine's Argentine driver Franco Colapinto (R) drives in front of Williams' Thai driver Alexander Albon during the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on October 11, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
Alpine's Argentine driver Franco Colapinto (R) drives in front of Williams' Thai driver Alexander Albon during the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on October 11, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto has called on his fans to stop social media campaigns attacking other drivers and his Alpine team staff, saying they're holding back his career.

Since the Argentine driver's F1 debut in 2024, fans have sent negative and sometimes abusive comments on social media targeting drivers who clashed with him on the track. Among them were champion Lando Norris and FIA race stewards who penalized Colapinto.

Alpine also stepped in this year to condemn online abuse and deny claims it was trying to “sabotage” Colapinto to favor teammate Pierre Gasly.

“I know it makes you feel very proud when things go well for me, when I score points, for me and for the whole team, and I’ll always be very grateful for that," Colapinto said in a video on Instagram late Wednesday.

"But there are times when we go over the line, when instead of supporting me we end up criticizing, we end up attacking other drivers, other colleagues, my teammates, my mechanics, my engineers, people I work with day in and day out.

“I know you’re thinking that you’re defending me, but you’re actually doing the opposite. You don’t help me or my future, and I really want you to understand that this is what we have to change, all of us together.”

The Associated Press said that Colapinto became racing-mad Argentina’s first F1 driver in 23 years when he made his debut in 2024 with Williams.

He moved to Alpine the following year, initially as a reserve, then was promoted when the team fired Jack Doohan, who later complained he'd received death threats around that time.

Colapinto is having his most successful season this year and is 12th in the standings, as well as picking up a best career race finish of sixth. Alpine confirmed in August his contract was being extended for next season.