19 October,2026 08:02 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Lamine Yamal and Dembele (Pic: AFP)
The highly anticipated Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona will proceed as scheduled on Tuesday in the French capital, the Interior Minister confirmed, following a weekend marked by nationwide protests, widespread looting, and public unrest.
The disturbing scenes of civil disorder have shocked French citizens and drawn global scrutiny to the nation's fragile social landscape. On Monday, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced that prefects have been directed to enforce targeted, highly restricted municipal curfews to halt further rioting and property destruction.
The widespread violence targeted municipal halls, public infrastructure, and hundreds of commercial establishments across the country, resulting in more than 2,000 arrests.
Tuesday's fixture at the Parc des Princes will require an extensive security deployment, placing additional pressure on police units already stretched thin by weeks of student demonstrations. Back in May, law enforcement detained dozens of individuals in the capital when violent disruptions broke out during celebrations for PSG's second Champions League title, during which a group attempted to breach a local police station.
Following an emergency meeting with top government representatives, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez revealed that officials carefully discussed cancelling major public gatherings, including high-profile sporting fixtures.
"But this does not apply to tomorrow's match between PSG and FC Barcelona," he said, confirming that other European fixtures across the country this week remain unaffected. Nunez specifically pointed to Wednesday's match in the northern city between Lille and Galatasaray, where looters had vandalised retail outlets over the weekend.
Nunez offered his resignation on Sunday, but President Emmanuel Macron requested that he remain in office to manage law enforcement demands during the crisis. Macron instructed Nunez 'to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence.'
Lecornu noted that specific boundaries for localised curfews will be detailed shortly. Meanwhile, Nunez conceded that security personnel temporarily lost control of several key urban areas on Saturday as hundreds of commercial locations suffered extensive damage.
PSG are fresh from beating Manchester City 4-2 in the last round, while Barcelona defeated Galatasaray to keep their unbeaten run going.
(With inputs from PTI)
