Latest news with #ultras
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
PSG fans teargassed as Champions League celebrations boil over following historic win over Inter Milan
Chaos broke out on the streets of Paris after PSG 's Champions League celebrations boiled over - with football ultras causing carnage and clashing with police. Thousands of supporters flocked to hotspots around the city to toast their side's thumping 5-0 victory against Inter Milan in Munich on Saturday night. But grim footage shared on social media shows riot officers deploying tear gas and charging at thugs with their batons in skirmishes, while several fires also broke out. Confrontations took place outside the Parc des Princes, where the one-sided final was being beamed on large screens, and on the Champs Elysees. Police clad in full riot gear swooped on supporters who had thrown bottles and let off fireworks. The party on the iconic Champs Elysees took a dark turn, forcing officers equipped with batons and shields to scramble in a bid to disperse the crowds. The ugly scenes during the historic match led Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau to claim that 'barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris'. French firefighters were also called into action near the Parc des Princes with footage seemingly showing bikes and mattresses on fire, sending thick smoke into the sky. Plans to deploy 5,400 police officers and gendarmes around the capital were in place after the final was classed as a high-risk event by the authorities. In a bid to crack down on potential trouble, the area around the Arc de Triomphe was closed to traffic. Several other roads were also shut off, including the Champs Elysees. Taking to X to comment on the disorder, a disguted Retailleau said: 'True PSG fans are getting excited about their team's magnificent performance. 'Meanwhile, barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris to commit crimes and provoke law enforcement. 'I have asked the internal security forces to react vigorously to these abuses. 'I offer my support to the Police Prefect and all the police officers who are ensuring everyone's safety this evening. 'It is unbearable that it is not possible to party without fearing the savagery of a minority of thugs who respect nothing.' More to follow.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
From being accused of treating their own player like a 'prisoner' to a female star investigated about an ATTACK on a rival team-mate: How PSG are aiming to put a string of controversies behind them to win the Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain coasted past three English clubs to reach the Champions League final and are enjoying a season of bliss. But you'd be a fool to think serenity is the norm at one of the continent's most notorious clubs, with a history marred by a toxic ultra culture and legal wrangles. PSG are doing well to shed that image and become France's family club, but that does not erase what passed before: hooligans stalking the streets, buses being set on fire, ultras turning viciously on players. Leading the club is the driven but explosive president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who was cleared of allegations he threatened to 'kill' a Real Madrid staff member in a heated clash and was accused earlier this season of being a 'bully' and a 'tyrant' by Lyon owner John Textor. Nowadays the club is praised for fostering a community culture which has won them admirers across France, but this era of relative peace should not be taken for granted. Without further ado, let's dive into some of their past controversies and scandals. Adrien Rabiot's 'prison' exile To kick us off, in a far cry from PSG's replenished family image, we're going back to 2019 when Adrien Rabiot's mother span a foreboding yarn about the club's culture. 'Adrien is a prisoner,' Veronique told L'Equipe. 'He's even a hostage to PSG. Soon it's dry bread, water and dungeon! This environment is cruel… A footballer is made to play, not to stay in the closet.' Scandalous claims? Yes. Strictly true? Probably not. But it is fair to say Rabiot became a persona non grata since reportedly refusing to renew his PSG deal in January 2019. He was fined for being six minutes late for a team meeting because of a nap - though his mother noted that an injured Neymar was allowed to party at Rio Carnival. The midfielder was fined after failing to meet up with his team-mates for a winter training camp in Qatar, but that was down to family tragedy - his grandmother had died. To cap it all off, Rabiot was banished from the training ground for nightclubbing after Manchester United dumped them out of the Champions League - and liking Patrice Evra's celebratory post. A unified team at this stage, then? Not quite. Exile was the order. Robberies, 'violent buglaries', and 'curb-crawling' So, these ones were out of PSG's control, but they didn't exactly embellish the reputation of the club and city as a desirable destination. In March 2021, Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos suffered a fate most people dread - their homes, or those of family members, were burgled. Di Maria was mysteriously substituted off in a game against Nantes and it later emerged that there had been a 'violent burglary' at his home in the affluent Neuilly-sur-Seine suburb, with around £420,000 worth of items taken. RMC claimed some of his family members had been there and held hostage. The French outlet also shared that the home of defender Marquinhos' parents had been robbed. With team-mates left 'shocked,' PSG acted quickly to reassure them by equipping them with complementary 24-hour security at their homes. Great work, but the criminals adapted. If we can't ransack their homes, why not just rob them in public, they thought? That was the unfortunate fate of Ander Herrera, who in October that year was reportedly divested of his wallet and phone by a prostitute in his car. In his camp's version of events: 'To get home, he went through the Bois de Boulogne, and at a traffic light, someone got into his car and took the phone and wallet that were in view.' Herrera was ordered to drive to a specific location to drop her off, at which point he did get his phone back - though he did find himself €200 (£167) out of pocket. Angel Di Maria's wife Jorgelina Cardoso and his two young daughters were reportedly caught up in a 'violent burglary' at their home - while he was playing! Player arrested for aggravated violence - towards a TEAM-MATE This is potentially one of the wildest football stories ever told. In November 2021, two masked men intercepted a car containing PSG women's stars Kheira Hamraoui and Aminata Diallo, the driver. The men dragged Hamraoui out of the car, beat her legs with an iron bar, and left her with large bruises and needing stitches. Diallo was unharmed. A few days later, Diallo was arrested on suspicion of organising the attack. Diallo and Hamraoui, both central midfielders, were in direct competition for the same place in both the PSG and French national team. Could it be that Diallo's ambitions had led her to... this? The story spread like wildfire, but Diallo was released without charge. Still, police reportedly bugged her phone and Crime Prevention Brigade of the judicial police of Versailles claimed they had found searches for 'dangerous drug cocktail' and 'how to break a kneecap'. Then, in September 2022, Diallo was placed in pre-trial detention charged with aggravated violence and criminal association. She was subsequently released under strict judicial supervision, then granted modified bail condition, which allowed her to play abroad. The case has never gone to trial. Diallo has always denied any allegations made towards her. In February this year, French prosecutors told AFP they had concluded their investigation. Her lawyer Mourad Battikh said: 'The judicial investigation ends as it began: without any element to demonstrate the involvement or more broadly the guilt of Aminata Diallo in this case.' You can read more about the controversial episode here. Hamraoui was attacked by masked men with an iron bar after being dragged from Diallo's car, while her team-mate was untouched Turning on their own stars: Lionel Messi, Neymar, Layvin Kurzawa PSG's fans have often behaved ferociously towards their own players - not that they're entirely unique in that. Every club has its more... passionate sections of the fanbase. Left-back Layvin Kurzawa learned that lesson the hard way in March 2022 when he was confronted by fuming supporters, who forced open his car door to remonstrate with him outside the training ground. The grievants were livid that the club had been knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, but they were directing their ire at the wrong man. Kurzawa had not featured in the tie and had only played nine minutes all season. Lionel Messi and Neymar had it worse for daring to leave in 2023. After catching whiff of reports that Messi was headed for the exit, a throng gathered outside the training ground to chant, 'Messi, son of a b****.' Not that they had a leg to stand on - only a year before, they had graffitied 'Messi out' on the walls after their Champions League devastation. Neymar's silky feet weren't exempt from bitterness, either. He gave six years of service to PSG, but in the May before he left, a crowd assembled outside his home to chant 'Neymar, get lost!' No wonder he ended up in Saudi Arabia. Even their prospective players have felt the fans' wrath. When PSG were linked to Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer of 2023, ultras held up a banner outside the Parc des Princes which read: 'If you come, we will cut off your three fingers.' Marca claimed that the message is in response to the three fingers Vlahovic showed after a game with Serbia. This is said to refer to 'Serbian supremacy over Kosovo' and 'could also mean a greeting made by a Serbian guerrilla of unification'. Needless to say, Vlahovic didn't sign. But Lucas Hernandez did that same summer, despite being warned he was 'not welcome' due to the fact his father Jean-Francois had played for Marseille in the 1990s, plus how he had beaten them with Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League final. PSG ultras displayed a threatening message saying they will 'cut off' three of Dusan Vlahovic's fingers if he signed for them A feisty president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has become one of the most polarising figures in football: for some a visionary and relentless operator, for others a 'plutocrat' with his fingers in too many pies. Not many reach the top of football without a hard edge. Al-Khelaifi, the bulldozer behind PSG since 2011, has one by many accounts. We're back at that 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in 2022, PSG reeling in frustration after throwing away their Champions League progression, and Al-Khelaifi is seething. The Qatari was said to have stormed through the corridors at the Bernabeu post-match, shouting and searching for referee Danny Makkelie, as per Marca. The incident was described as 'frankly unpleasant' by reporter Monica Marchante, according to El Partidazo de COPE. An excerpt of the referees' report shared by L'Equipe read: 'The president and technical director of PSG behaved aggressively and tried to enter the referees' dressing room. When the referee asked them to leave, they blocked the door and the president deliberately hit the flag of one of the assistant.' The PSG president, along with sporting director Leonardo reportedly ended up storming another room and coming face to face with Real Madrid delegate, Mejia Devila. According to Diario AS, a Madrid employee recorded the incident with his mobile, Al Khelaifi noticed it and hit his phone threatening: 'I'm going to kill you.' However, he is paying for all the tickets and travel for the club's staff for this year's final UEFA investigated and cleared Al-Khelaifi, a member of their executive committee. They banned Leonardo for one game. Furthermore, this season, Crystal Palace and Lyon owner John Textor accused Al-Khelaifi of being a 'bully' and a 'tyrant' in a discussion between Ligue 1 chiefs over TV rights. In a leaked video seen by L'Equipe and Complement d'enquete, Al-Khelaifi snapped back: 'John, stop talking, you don't understand anything, you're from… I don't know, cowboy, you're coming, I don't know (from) where, and you're talking to us.' However, he also has a generous side. He recently wrote to all 600 of the club's staff members telling they that they will receive free tickets and travel arrangements for the Champions League final. 'We are proud to be one family - the Paris Saint-Germain family - proudly representing Paris and France on the biggest stage,' he wrote. Fan trouble Unfortunately, football hooliganism is still rife in England and on the continent - it's in no way exclusive to PSG. In their two clashes with Newcastle in 2023, the Parisian fans went hunting for trouble. Chilling images from the French capital showed a mass of black-clad ultras roaming the streets looking to root out Toon fans. Eventually they happened across the Newcastle supporters at a cafe, and proceeded to attack: glasses were smashed, windows were broken, chairs were thrown, and there were also reports of a flare being chucked. 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. And then there's the notorious incident of two buses being set on fire in clashes between PSG and Lyon fans ahead of the French Cup final last year. Clashes broke out on the motorway as fans made their way to the match at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille. Footage on social media showed two buses on fire by a motorway toll tooth at Fresnes-les-Montauban, near Arras, in northern France. Videos showed supporters surrounding buses, with flares thrown and windows reportedly being smashed. Two buses were set on fire as Lyon and PSG supporters clashed ahead of the French Cup final last year Footage on social media saw supporters surrounding buses carrying rival fans A large group of hooded PSG fans went 'looking for' Newcastle supporters in the French city Newcastle United fans appeared to be targeted by PSG ultras in Paris in 2023 The clashes reportedly involved 100 Lyon supporters and 200 PSG fans, according to police sources, as reported by AFP.
New York Times
4 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Exile to ecstasy: How PSG's ultras made their city seen and heard
When Paris Saint-Germain face Inter on Saturday, hoping to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time in their history, they will be supported by a group of fans who have made themselves seen — and heard — throughout the season. Around 3,000 of PSG's ultras will be at the Allianz Arena in Munich for the final. Their colourful and noisy displays have become a defining feature of the team's Champions League run, featuring huge tifos or banners, supporters with megaphones leading songs and drums punctuating the air at their Parc des Princes stadium. Advertisement The PSG ultras have also become instantly recognisable for their diversity. The Black, brown and white faces alongside each other in the stands reflect multicultural Paris and its surroundings. But behind the chants and cheering lies a troubled past. A longstanding struggle between fan groups with radically different politics led to the death of a supporter in 2010. PSG responded by locking all ultras out of their home ground for six years. This is the story of how they returned to the Parc des Princes — and why they stand out among fans of other European teams. PSG's diverse fanbase is no surprise, given the makeup of Paris and its suburbs. According to a 2021 census, 2.5million — or 20.3 per cent — of the 12.3m population in the wider Paris region were immigrants. Another study by France's main statistical institute found that 1.36m French-born Parisians of working age have at least one immigrant parent. Many of these are from north-African or African countries previously under French colonial rule. France's first World Cup win, on home soil, in 1998 seemed to bring together the country in a celebration of diversity — with Zinedine Zidane and company nicknamed the 'Black, Blanc, Beur' (Black, white, Arab) team for their mixed origins. The reality was more complex, as the far-right political party Front National rose to prominence in the years after that triumph and riots broke out in the multicultural Parisian suburbs, known as banlieues, in 2005 and 2023. A club only founded in 1970 via a merger between Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain, PSG's fans reflected those tensions. The Boulogne stand behind the south goal — named after the neighbouring district of Boulogne-Billancourt — became a stronghold for far-right ultras in the 1980s. In 1991, an alternative supporters' stand was set up at the Auteuil end of the pitch, which soon housed a more diverse, left-wing group of fans. Advertisement The two sets of ultras regularly clashed, creating a hostile atmosphere. 'Every single gameweek used to be hell,' says Antoine, a PSG ultra who asked for his surname not to be used so he could speak freely. The tipping point came in March 2010, when a Boulogne ultra named Yann Lorence died in a fight with Auteuil fans outside the ground before a game against Marseille. Then PSG president Robin Leproux's response was to effectively ban all ultra groups in a move known as the 'Plan Leproux'. 'It seemed to me that the only way to fix this problem was to break that disastrous geographical opposition between the Auteuil and Boulogne stands, those territories which belong to one and not the other,' Leproux said in a 2020 interview with French newspaper Le Parisien. For the ultras, it was seen as an overly harsh measure which silenced the stadium. Romain Mabille belonged to the Auteuil ultras and founded the Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP) in May 2016, a larger group made of multiple organisations from that stand. He thinks the problem could have been solved by 'taking away 300 or 400 people' instead of imposing a blanket ban. 'To have two whole stands where everything was finished just because of the problems of a few was very serious,' he tells The Athletic. The ban remained after Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took control of PSG in June 2011. Mabille led a group of ultras who went to court over Plan Leproux. In 2014, the French data protection agency (CNIL) ruled that two club lists excluding supporters could 'not be legally implemented' as they had 'not been previously authorised by the CNIL'. A government body overturned this in 2016, ordering the state to pay PSG €5,000 after it found one of the investigators who had uncovered the lists at their offices was not 'authorised' to do so. Advertisement With the ultras locked out of the ground, the Auteuil group attended the PSG women's team's games instead, to show their continuing support. In May 2016, 300 of them protested outside the Qatari embassy in Paris, calling for dialogue with the club. PSG's then chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc initiated discussions with the group on behalf of the owners, outlining how his bosses would need assurances on security and would not accept any violence or politics being involved. Then, in the September of that year, PSG allowed a few hundred ultras to return to the Auteuil stand for a Ligue 1 match against Bordeaux. This time, they were part of the wider CUP, rather than simply representing individual groups. 'It was like winning the Champions League — it was our own Champions League,' says Mabille. Since then, the ultras have gained more and more visibility while being encouraged by the club. On PSG's social media pages, you will find footage of players dancing in front of the fans holding flares after the recent Champions League semi-final win against Arsenal and photos of elaborate handmade tifos which take three weeks to a month to create. A post shared by Paris Saint-Germain (@psg) Mabille, one of the two ultra leaders who holds a microphone to coordinate chants, says it is all 'natural'. In much the same way, he says the ultras' diversity is not a topic of discussion within the group but calls it a 'source of pride'. 'When you look at the collective, it's as if you were walking through Paris,' says Mabille. 'There are people from all religions, all colours. You've got rich people, you've got poor people. You've got people from Paris, you've got people from the banlieues around Paris. All that matters to us is that you're a PSG supporter.' Antoine says it comes down to a slogan often repeated by the ultras — la banlieue influence Paname et Paname influence le monde. This translates as: The banlieues influence Paris and Paris influences the world (Paname is French slang for the city). Most of the ultras are from those suburbs, and the same is true of some of the club's best current and former players, including all-time top scorer Kylian Mbappe. Despite supposedly being apolitical, the group unfurled a huge tifo with the words 'Free Palestine' before a Champions League game against Atletico Madrid in November. French interior minister Bruno Retailleau called it 'unacceptable' but UEFA took no action. The CUP responded to say it was not 'a message of hate' and that 'the message which accompanied it was explicit and is an appeal for peace between people'. 'The politics do end up coming out anyway,' says Antoine. 'That's a result of the diversity of the ultras.' The CUP has not always been in unison with the owners since the ultras' return. In 2023, it announced a strike which was called off a week later after PSG gave assurances about ticketing and sticking to their iconic wide red stripe on future shirts. The group whistled Lionel Messi and Neymar when they were at PSG over poor performances and the club's previous policy of signing stars and have opposed their merchandising push in recent years. Advertisement There have been more serious controversies. PSG were forced to close part of the Auteuil stand in October after homophobic chanting aimed at Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot during a game against Strasbourg. They were punished with another partial stadium closure in April after displaying banners insulting ex-PSG player Rabiot during a game against Marseille. Mabille himself was handed a one-year suspended prison sentence in 2018 for his alleged involvement in a fight with Reims ultras two years earlier. His lawyer maintained Mabille had not been at the scene and he was acquitted of any charges on appeal in 2020. There is certainly greater harmony in the stands than when the Boulogne and Auteuil ends were fighting each other 15 years ago. The CUP is firmly established as PSG's only ultras group at the Parc des Princes and finds itself reflected in an exciting young group of players led by a popular coach in Luis Enrique. 'We have a chant that goes, 'After so many years of pain and fighting…',' says Mabille. 'If after so many years of pain and fighting, we win the Champions League and we do a good job during the match, we'll all have peace in our hearts and the satisfaction of having succeeded.'
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
AC Milan ultras issue scathing attack on club chiefs as fans call out advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic after dismal season vowing 'we will not let you destroy us'
AC Milan 's ultras tore into their club's owners and board of directors in a lengthy, scathing statement ahead of their final game of the season. The Italian giants face Monza at the San Siro on Saturday evening to cap off a dismal campaign, which has seen them struggle in ninth place in Serie A. While there are expected to be protests in the stands during the game, some supporters took the onus to push forward their demonstration by a few hours, and were seen holding banners and hurling insults to the club's higher-ups on Saturday afternoon. Over 3,000 Rossoneri fans gathered outside Milan's headquarters to call for RedBird chief Gerry Cardinale to sell up and leave, while also taking aim at many others behind the scenes, including senior advisor and former player Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Milan's ultras then released a statement, which began by outlining the club's astonishing decline this season. Just three years ago, Milan won Serie A, then finished fourth and second in the following seasons. The statement read: 'This is the best response we could give, because there is no curva, club, red, orange: there are only Milanisti and Milanismo. Things that those in that building have forgotten a long time ago. 'We are back in this square three years after celebrating the best Scudetto ever. After celebrating the return to the Champions League along with Paolo Maldini.' Despite being runners-up in the league in 2023-24, former manager Stefano Pioli departed Milan at the end of the season. He was replaced by Paulo Fonseca, who was fired and usurped by Sergio Conceicao earlier this season. Milan's ultras took issue with how this managerial fiasco unfolded, instead arguing that the club should have aimed for an established coach like Antonio Conte - who just led Napoli to Serie A glory in his first season - last summer. The statement continued: 'Last summer, they [the board] wanted to take things into their own hands, with arrogance, not listening to the words of the fans who wanted someone with a strong profile like Antonio Conte. 'They settled for those with a low profile, mediocre, abandoning two coaches to their fate. Paulo Fonseca found out he was sacked from journalists outside the stadium.' The statement went on to slam the 'guilty figures' at the top of the club, including Ibrahimovic, who the fans blamed for the 'Milan Futuro' disaster. Milan's reserve team - Milan Futuro - experienced a challenging debut season in professional football in 2024-25, culminating in relegation to Serie D. The statement added: 'The first guilty figures are Paul Singer, who arrived as a saviour and just tried to earn from Milan. Gerry Cardinale, who used Milan for commercial ends, forgetting we are in Milano and not New York. 'Giorgio Furlani, a fine lawyer, but totally unsuited to lead a group. We can thank him for crashing out of Europe again. 'Paolo Scaroni, who for years has been at Milan with the sole objective of a stadium project that hasn't moved from Square One. He is not worth a thousandth of those who preceded him. 'Ibra the big boss, so loved as a player, so unsuited to being a consultant. To blame for the Milan Futuro disaster. Moncada, who aside from a few good signings, put together a series of dismal decisions.' To cap off the statement, the ultras called for the club to be sold to someone who supports Milan, rather than a company who sees it as a business opportunity. They also warned that they would not let their current owners 'destroy' the club. The final lines of the statement read: 'Leave your places to people who know the profession, hopefully people who support Milan too. 'You have killed the passion of millions of fans, annihilated Milanismo to boost revenue, treating fans as clients and tourists to fleece. 'Today the Milan fans present the bill. Pay up and leave as soon as possible. We will not let you destroy our Milan again.'
