Violence mars PSG’s French Cup final win

AP:

THE LATEST incident of fan violence to mar French football this season led to 30 injuries after rivals from Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain fought on a highway before Saturday’s French Cup final near the city of Lille.

Prefecture officials in charge of France’s northern region said in a statement yesterday that 14 of the injured needed medical treatment. One bus was burned and two others damaged during the clashes, which involved more than 200 fans. Eight police officers sustained minor injuries.

Images online showed rivals charging into each other before one of the groups, clad all in white, clambered over barriers and retreated across a nearby field.

Supporters threw flares, and windows were smashed on buses. The final was deemed a very high security risk by the national police division for the fight against hooliganism, and the incidents happened despite fan buses from both clubs being escorted by police.

Lyon and PSG ultras have a long-standing rivalry and were expected to travel to Villeneuve d’Ascq for the final. The PSG group was dressed in dark clothing while the other was in white, representing Lyon. Some wore balaclavas to hide their faces as they fought.

Bertrand Gaume, the prefect for upper France, praised the police forces for intervening and preventing further violence. There were 10 arrests.

PSG supporters also caused trouble in the youth French Cup final, a curtain-raiser to the French Cup final, by throwing projectiles at Marseille Under-19 goalkeeper Aboubaka Dosso. The game was suspended for 10 minutes in the second half before being resuemed.

The French Cup final was relocated to Stade Pierre Mauroy near Lille because of preparations at Stade de France for the Paris Olympics.

PSG beat Lyon 2-1 in Kylian Mbappé’s last game for PSG.