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Another Champions League final has been marred by violence as PSG and Inter Milan fans have clashed in the build-up to Saturday night’s game.
Shocking footage shows supporters fighting tooth and nail on public transport in Munich, with bottles being thrown and legs kicking out.
According to L’Equipe, at least one PSG supporter was injured after being ambushed in the Universitat subway station – with Inter hooligans being described as carrying bladed weapons.
‘Physical clashes took place in the Universitst subway station, during which pepper spray was used. The investigation into the circumstances is ongoing,’ Munich police wrote on X.
Meanwhile, German outlet Bild claim that Inter fans have been throwing stones around the Frottmaning U-Bahn station.
One of their reporters describes fights breaking out between rivals sets of fans on a station platform.
Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan fans have clashed on the Munich subway system
According to The Telegraph, Munich’s U6 line has been ‘struggling to deal with the volume of fans,’ who have been getting increasingly furious.
After being pepper sprayed by police, one group of Italian ultras returned with metal bars, with one getting launched at the authorities.
After finally getting away from the Universitat station, the underground driver is said to have raced through multiple stations without stopping to let anybody else on.
Earlier in the day, according to Bild, it looked as if the police had the situation under better control.
PSG fans are said to have provoked Inter supporters outside a Dallmayr fine-dining restaurant, but police intervened with batons to stem any chaos.
In the central Marienplatz square, police estimated that around 1,5000 ultras gathered during one demonstration.
Over in Paris, shops are erecting barricades to defend themselves, presumably from potential backlash if PSG lose another final after their 2020 devastation.
The French capital is deploying around 5,400 police officers to keep the peace despite being hours away from the action at the Allianz Arena.
Over in Paris, shops are setting up barricades in case there is a backlash at PSG losing
Police in Munich have had to break up disorder ahead of the Champions League final
Plenty of fans have put their differences aside and have been mingling peacefully
Supporters have complained about an overly cramped public transport system to the stadium
Thousands of fans have taken to the streets to express their support for their respective clubs
One supporter had the bravery to show off a 50-50 scarf ahead of Saturday night’s game
Floods of supporters have been making their way to the Allianz Arena for European football’s showpiece game
In Italy, fans have been out in their droves at Milan’s Piazza del Duomo to soak up the mood
A large concentration of police is expected to assemble on the Champs-Elysees to stifle any potential outbursts.
A minority of Inter and PSG supporters come wiuth a reputation for causing trouble.
Earlier this month, PSG fans were reportedly teargassed in a clash with riot police as tensions flared ahead of their semi-final second leg against Arsenal.
Organisers will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the security fiasco in 2022, which saw Liverpool and Real Madrid fans attacked and mugged after leaving the Stade de France.
Kick-off was delayed by 36 minutes as a dangerous situation developed outside the Stade de France in Paris as thousands of Liverpool fans were crushed and teargassed by police.
French police were forced to create a narrow human funnel, prompting crush concerns, as they separated fans trying to enter the venue in concerning scenes harkening to the UEFA Euro 2020 chaos at Wembley stadium.
UEFA initially blamed supporters arriving late at the stadium for the shambolic scenes at entrance gates but later attributed the issues to fans trying to gain access with fake tickets, which caused delays.
Liverpool demanded a formal inquiry after hundreds of their supporters, including pregnant women and young children, were targeted with tear gas during the chaos ahead of the final.
Earlier this season, French police reportedly used tear gas on supporters en route to Parc des Princes
Supporters were also charged by the riot police, with 2,000 officers in Paris to cover the semi-final between PSG and Arsenal
Arsenal fans had been warned to avoid the Auteuil area when heading to the stadium
Elsewhere French riot police were also accused of attacking Liverpool supporters watching their side lose the final from a dedicated fan zone in the Place de la Nation, Paris.
Scores of heavily armed officers were filmed hitting those who had gathered there, with a chilling video showing women among the victims of the police violence, which seemed to be unprovoked.
France’s former interior minister Gerald Darmanin has only recently apologised for blaming English fans.
Trouble around Roland Garros too, writes MATTHEW LAMBWELL
As if the sight of two British men competing in the third round of the French Open was not bizarre enough, Cam Norrie’s victory over Jacob Fearnley was set to the deafening tune of nearby fireworks.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final against Inter Milan may have been 500 miles due east in Munich and several hours away from kick-off but that did not stop the locals going – literally – ballistic. Court Simone Mathieu, where the battle of Britain was played, is at the extremity of Roland Garros closest to the Parc de Princes, which was the epicentre of fans’ pre-match revelries.
The result was playing conditions that were right on the borderline of acceptable. Tennis can be po-faced about the need for total silence during play, but the boom of fireworks and firecrackers, plus the crazed honking of car horns, really was a little much. We are used to complaints of noise during French Open matches but this time we could not blame the rowdy fans – at least not those inside the stadium.
What a contrast to the quaint surrounds of this wonderful court, which is set amid a botanic garden. It was like people loosing smoke bombs just outside Kew Gardens.
With all this going on, it was no surprise the more experienced man triumphed. The 29-year-old Norrie won 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 and has now reached the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slams. In Monday’s last 16 he will play the winner of Saturday’s night match between Novak Djokovic and Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic. If, as expected, Djokovic comes through, Norrie would be the lowest ranked player left in the draw, at No 81.
As the match began to slip away from Fearnley, a more hardened campaigner might have used the extreme situation to his advantage by kicking up a fuss, arguing for the match to be moved, in an attempt to disrupt Norrie’s flow.
But Fearnley is only just completing his first 12 months on tour – hard to believe given how stable his game looks, with a ranking on the cusp of the top 50.
The 23-year-old – like Norrie, a graduate of Texas Christian University – also appears to be one of those men to whom strange things happen. In one claycourt season, Fearnley has: in Madrid, had his match cancelled for the day due to a sudden meltdown of the national grid; in Rome, been on the main court when a new Pope was announced on the big screen; and now in Paris, playing through an adjacent firework display.
Fearnley’s big chance in this match came as he recovered from 0-4 to 6-6. The tiebreak was greeted by an especially loud volley of pyrotechnics, perhaps to celebrate the announcement of the PSG line-up, for we were now just one hour from kick-off.
In the breaker, Fearnley put a routine forehand in the net on the first point and Norrie surged clear.
