Sixty-five people were taken into police custody after a huge brawl broke out late on Thursday in Paris involving supporters of OGC Nice, which left six people injured, including one seriously. The violent clashes involving knifes and broken bottles marred the run-up to the French Cup final against Lens on Friday, compounding Nice’s woes after a nightmare season marked by run-ins with irate fans and an ongoing battle to avoid relegation. Police said around 100 Nice supporters gathered late in the evening in the Canal Saint-Martin area popular with revellers, in the 10th arrondissement (district) of Paris, “clearly looking for a fight”. Amateur videos on social media showed masked individuals attacking a local bar and hurling chairs at the premises.
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Six people were injured, including one person in a serious condition. One victim “was struck in the throat by a shard of glass and (another) was stabbed in the back”, a police source told local daily Le Parisien. Another source said a bread knife with a 20 cm blade and traces of blood was also found on the ground. The source said some of the victims were bystanders with no connection to the football fan scene. Police seized knives and other weapons, along with balaclavas and padded gloves. “These are certainly fringe groups, as the vast majority of Nice supporters are due to arrive in Paris today,” said Philippe Diallo, the head of the French Football Federation, speaking on France Info radio. “This is everything we dislike about football – namely violence – when a French Cup final is supposed to be a celebration,” he added. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire accused Nice fans, “some of whom are known to have links to the far right”, of “accosting and violently attacking” Parisians. Friday’s final at the Stade de France has been labelled “high-risk” due to the animosity between Nice and supporters of local giants Paris Saint-Germain, with over 2,000 police officers deployed.
