Where will fans gather in Île-de-France to watch the PSG-Arsenal match? The highly anticipated Champions League final on May 30 will proceed without public fan zones in Paris, mirroring last year’s approach. The city’s police prefecture has expressed opposition, citing the substantial law enforcement resources already allocated to three major concerts scheduled concurrently at the Stade de France, La Défense Arena, and Accor Arena. Instead, an official match retransmission on a giant screen will take place within the Parc des Princes, with tickets available from 19 euros. Local bars and restaurants are also gearing up for increased patronage. Across the broader Île-de-France region, organizing festivities around this significant football event presents a considerable security challenge.

Dialogue with local authorities on security

Fan zones for this year’s final will be noticeably scarce. As of now, no fan zones have been declared in Hauts-de-Seine. Prefect Alexandre Brugère has, in fact, advised mayors against organizing them, emphasizing the need for law enforcement to concentrate on Paris. In Seine-Saint-Denis, discussions are ongoing between the prefect and local mayors. Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of Saint-Denis, stated on May 14 via social media that his municipality seeks “guarantees from the prefecture regarding security measures to safely host fan zones.” He also acknowledged “the desire of community groups to propose popular, citizen-led fan zones,” which he intends to support, provided robust security can be ensured.

Meanwhile, some fan zones are slated for Trappes and Carrière sous Poissy. A controlled event with a capacity of 8,000 attendees is planned at the Camp des Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the historic home of PSG. This enclosed venue offers a more manageable security environment compared to public spaces, especially with France remaining under the “Vigipirate urgence attentat” anti-terrorism alert. Organizing public gatherings in open areas is “virtually impossible,” remarked Arnaud Péricard, the mayor of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He believes this security challenge extends beyond football events, noting, “The Fête des Loges in Saint-Germain now has a secured perimeter with controlled access, unlike previous years when it was freely accessible.”

“A collective failure”

For Master Cyril Dubois, a legal representative for the Ultras Paris supporters’ collective, football celebrations should ideally reclaim public spaces. “The inability to create these popular events that bring people together without incidents is indeed a failure. More critically, we’re not even attempting to establish fan zones in Paris anymore,” he lamented. Dubois further pointed out, “For the semi-final, there were no fan zones either, yet we couldn’t prevent troublemakers from causing disturbances.” Following the semi-final victory against Bayern, 127 individuals were arrested across the Parisian agglomeration. After last year’s final, a staggering 491 arrests were made, and two lives were tragically lost in Paris and Dax amidst the celebrations.