The question looms: where will fans gather in Île-de-France to witness the PSG-Arsenal match? For the second consecutive year, Paris will not feature official outdoor fan zones for the Champions League final. The police prefecture has expressed its opposition, primarily due to the significant deployment of security personnel required for three major concerts scheduled concurrently at the Stade de France, La Défense Arena, and the Accor Arena. Instead, a screening of the match is set to take place within the Parc des Princes, with tickets available from 19 euros. Local bars and restaurants are also preparing for an influx of supporters. Throughout the wider Île-de-France region, orchestrating festivities around this high-profile match presents a formidable security challenge.

Ongoing discussions with local authorities

Official fan zones for this final are expected to be sparse. Currently, none have been declared in Hauts-de-Seine, where Prefect Alexandre Brugère has advised mayors against organizing them, emphasizing the need for law enforcement to concentrate on Paris. In Seine-Saint Denis, discussions are actively underway between the prefect’s office and various mayors. “We also seek assurance from the prefecture regarding the necessary security measures to safeguard these fan zones,” stated Bally Bagayoko, Mayor of Saint-Denis, during a social media live session on May 14. He also highlighted the desire of “community organizations to offer popular, citizen-led fan zones,” which he intends to support, provided adequate security can be guaranteed.

Meanwhile, fan zones are anticipated in Trappes and Carrière sous Poissy. Additionally, an event with a capacity for 8,000 attendees is planned at the Camp des Loges in Saint-Germain en Laye, the historic training ground of PSG. This confined location offers easier security management compared to public spaces, especially with France remaining under the Vigipirate ‘urgency attentat’ alert level. Organizing public events on open thoroughfares is “virtually impossible,” observed Arnaud Péricard, the Mayor of Saint-Germain en Laye. He believes this security concern transcends football itself, noting, “Even the Fête des Loges in Saint-Germain now has a cordoned perimeter with controlled entry, whereas it was once an open-access event.”

A missed opportunity for public celebration

For Master Cyril Dubois, a legal representative for the Ultras Paris supporters’ collective, football celebrations should rightfully extend into the streets. “The fact that we can no longer create these popular, unifying events without disruption is indeed a failure, but more profoundly, there’s no longer even an attempt to establish fan zones in Paris,” he lamented. The lawyer further pointed out, “I observed that for the semi-final, there were no fan zones either, yet this did not prevent troublemakers from appearing.” In the aftermath of the semi-final victory against Bayern, 127 individuals were arrested across the Parisian agglomeration. Following last year’s final, a staggering 491 arrests were made, and tragically, two lives were lost in Paris and Dax during the celebrations.