Published On 1/6/2026
French President Emmanuel Macron described Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory as “a great pride for the entire country,” but he addressed the violence that occurred after the match, noting that it was “unacceptable.”
On Sunday, Macron received the European champions at the Elysee Palace, hours after their second coronation in a row, and pointed out that Saint-Germain followed in the footsteps of the French national team by obtaining two stars.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
He said: “We are waiting for our team to add a third star to the shirt for us,” referring to his desire to crown the “Roosters” with the World Cup title for the third time after the 1998 and 2018 editions.
Saint-Germain players arrived shortly before 19:00 local time at the Elysee Palace, where they met the president, after earlier passing by their fans in the Champs-de-Mars square.
During the meeting, Macron said: “This evening we are very proud… very proud of this Paris Saint-Germain team, of its president, of its coach, of its entire technical staff, of its captain and of all its players. They achieved what we thought, and what many thought was impossible. They achieved it with heart and passion. They achieved it while making Paris and the whole country shake with joy.”
But Macron described the violence that occurred in Paris and other cities after the Champions League final on Saturday evening as “unacceptable.”
He described what happened as “not football,” saying: “This is not what we like. Therefore, thanks to our police and our police. We will be strict and relentless with those who were arrested. We do not want to see this again. (The riot) must end. We are tired.”
Riots and hundreds of injuries
During the night between Saturday and Sunday, the capital and other regions of France witnessed violations that resulted in 780 arrests, including 457 cases of detention pending investigation, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.
About 219 people were injured, including 8 seriously, and 57 police and gendarmerie members were injured, without any serious injuries recorded.
Macron will meet the French national team participating in the World Cup in Clairefontaine, on Tuesday, before traveling to participate in the World Cup.
The French President said that the Roosters will try, starting in mid-June, to win their third world title: “There is no team in the world that has this amount of talent and this amount of accumulated experience.”
