10/19/2026 09:21:00
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10/19 07:48 CDT PSG-Barcelona match in Champions League to go ahead amid shock
over France's violent unrest
PSG-Barcelona match in Champions League to go ahead amid shock over France's
violent unrest
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
AP Sports Writer
PARIS (AP) --- The showpiece Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain
and Barcelona will go ahead as planned on Tuesday in the French capital city,
the French Interior minister confirmed, despite a weekend of protests marred by
violence and looting across the country.
Many French citizens have been left shocked by the images of violence that have
drawn worldwide attention and highlighted the country's tense social climate.
On Monday, French Prime Minister Sbastien Lecornu said he has instructed
prefects to impose "very limited" and "localized" curfews in cities to prevent
more rioting and looting.
The violence targeted city halls, other public buildings and hundreds of
businesses across the country, leading to more than 2,000 arrests.
Tuesday's match between PSG and Barcelona 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 Champions League title win and
a group tried to storm a police station in the French capital.
Speaking after an emergency meeting with top government officials, Interior
minister Laurent Nuez said the possibility of calling off planned events was
discussed, including soccer matches.
"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. Nuez mentioned the match between Lille and Galatasaray
scheduled Wednesday in the northern city, where looters also vandalized shops
over the weekend.
Nuez 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 Nuez "to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about
the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence."
Lecornu said details of the areas to be placed under curfew will be provided
later.
Nuez acknowledged that authorities had "lost control" in some major cities on
Saturday, with hundreds of businesses looted.
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Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
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See AP's full soccer coverage here
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