PSG vs Barcelona update issued as violent protests in France threaten Champions League clash
The Champions League fixture between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona will be played as scheduled on Tuesday at the Parc des Princes, the French Interior minister has confirmed.
The decision comes after a weekend of protests across France that were marred by violence and looting.
Interior minister Laurent Nuñez spoke after an emergency meeting with top government officials, at which the possibility of calling off planned events, including football matches, was discussed.
“But this does not apply to tomorrow’s match between PSG and FC Barcelona,” he said, adding that other matches planned in European competitions this week would not be affected.
Among the fixtures still going ahead, he mentioned the match between Lille and Galatasaray scheduled for Wednesday in the northern city, where looters also vandalised shops over the weekend.
The violence of recent days targeted city halls, other public buildings and hundreds of businesses across the country. More than 2,000 arrests have been made in connection with the unrest.
Images of the violence have drawn worldwide attention and left many French citizens shocked, highlighting the country's tense social climate.
On Monday, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he has instructed prefects to impose “very limited” and “localised” curfews in cities to prevent more rioting and looting.
Lecornu said details of the areas to be placed under curfew will be provided later. Nuñez acknowledged that authorities had “lost control” in some major cities on Saturday, with hundreds of businesses looted.
Nuñez offered his resignation on Sunday, but French President Emmanuel Macron asked him to stay to respond to police needs in an emergency situation.
Macron instructed Nuñez “to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence.”
Tuesday's match at the Parc des Princes will require a robust security deployment, with police forces already strained following weeks of student protests.
In May, Paris police detained dozens of people after violence disrupted celebrations of PSG's second successive Champions League triumph following a penalty shootout win over Arsenal, and a group tried to storm a police station in the French capital.
