PSG and Aston Villa supporters have clashed the night before the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie as the French interior ministry battles against rising violence from football fans
Aston Villa and PSG fans have clashed in the streets of Paris on the eve of the two sides’ Champions League quarter-final. Villa travel to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night for the first leg of the last eight clash.
Unai Emery’s side thrashed Club Brugge in the last 16, while PSG have beaten Brest and Liverpool in the knockouts to reach this stage. Luis Enrique’s hosts come into the game on the back on winning the Ligue 1 title at the weekend.
The build-up to Wednesday’s game has been marred though after footage emerged of the two sets of fans clashing in the streets. The footage shows punches, glasses and chairs being thrown outside a Parisian bar.
A mass brawl appeared to take place involving dozens of supporters. Villa had been expecting a fiery reception from the PSG fans, after keeper Emiliano Martinez wore a hat appearing to mock the French national team.
The French interior ministry has been battling against an escalation in football fan related violence over the course of this campaign. In a statement at the end of March, the ministry said: “Since the start of the 2024/2025 season, we have witnessed a veritable explosion of violence during professional football matches.
READ MORE: Champions League finalists predicted as Arsenal and Aston Villa’s dreams left shatteredREAD MORE: Unai Emery, Luis Enrique and the worst night of Aston Villa manager’s career
“No fewer than 64 matches have been marked by serious incidents. Since the start of the season, 627 arrests have been made on the sidelines of professional football matches, an increase of 41% compared to last season, when there were a total of 718.
“The Ministry of the Interior is awaiting a return to calm and an end to violence by the supporters’ clubs in question. Stadium bans and dissolutions will no longer be necessary once public order is respected and violence has ceased.
“Professional football clubs, football authorities, and supporters’ clubs have a role to play in calming the situation alongside the public authorities.”
Emery is seeking to keep his side focused on task at hand, with PSG providing a difficult test. He said: “Tomorrow is a challenge, but it’s a challenge like before because we want to compete and be protagonists on the field.
“It’s not an individual challenge with him [Enrique]. I appreciate him a lot, I respect him a lot and I will be grateful to see him. Other coaches can always learn from something that he’s doing.
“Tomorrow I will enjoy playing football with two good teams in the Champions League. Hopefully we can watch a very good match with very good players, doing our best for Aston Villa.”
Enrique meanwhile has rejected the ‘favourites’ tag that has been handed to his side. The PSG boss said: “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as favourites in football. Against Liverpool, everyone said we had less of a chance.
“There are eight teams who deserve to be at this stage of the competition, eight teams who can qualify for the next stage. A lot of the ‘favourites’ have already been eliminated. We’ll have to do what’s necessary and deserve to win on the pitch.
“We will continue to see a great version of Paris Saint-Germain, with the same intensity. I’m totally convinced of the level we’ve reached so far and of what lies ahead: the best is yet to come.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
