PSG-Barcelona Champions League clash cleared to go ahead amid France unrest

Paris fixture to proceed despite unrest

Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League match against Barcelona will go ahead as scheduled on Tuesday at the Parc des Princes, France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed after an emergency meeting of senior government officials.

The meeting considered whether planned public events should be cancelled following a weekend of protests marked by violence and looting. Nuñez said the decision would not affect Tuesday’s fixture or other European matches scheduled in France this week. He also confirmed that Lille’s game against Galatasaray, scheduled for Wednesday, would proceed.

Authorities prepare for heightened security

More than 2,000 people have been arrested in connection with the unrest, which has targeted public buildings and businesses in cities across France. Nuñez acknowledged that authorities had “lost control” in some major cities on Saturday, when hundreds of businesses were looted.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday that prefects had been instructed to impose “very limited” and “localised” curfews to prevent further rioting and looting. Details of the areas affected are expected to be announced later.

Nuñez offered his resignation on Sunday, but President Emmanuel Macron asked him to remain in post to address police needs during the emergency. Macron also directed him to take steps to ensure “full transparency” about planning and intelligence failures preceding the violence.

The match will require a substantial police presence at a time when security forces are already stretched by weeks of student protests. The Independent also reported that violence disrupted celebrations in Paris in May after PSG secured a second successive Champions League triumph, including an attempt by a group to storm a police station.