State services are eagerly awaiting the European Cup final on Sunday, during which Paris Saint-Germain will try to win their first Champions League title.
Besides Paris, the authorities are worried about overflows in Marseille where the broadcast of the semi-final on Tuesday between PSG and RB Leipzig had already been tarnished by the aggression of two supporters. In the process, the Marseille police headquarters had issued an order prohibiting the wearing of the Parisian club jersey in the Phocaean City on the day of the final, at the risk if not for PSG fans of being punished with a fine of 30,000 euros and six months' imprisonment. An extreme measure which provoked a controversy leading the authorities to repeal the decree, at the request of the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin.
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The text also prohibited a Parisian supporter from circulating around the Old Port on Sunday evening. "This decree had for sole purpose the protection of Parisian supporters, and was in no way intended to restrict freedom of movement" , justified Friday the prefect of police facing "the misunderstanding aroused" . "The republican order is not to sanction the possible victims on the grounds that there are possible aggressors" , was astonished the vice-president LREM of the National Assembly and support of PSG, Hugues Renson. “Sport must not be held hostage to violence or intolerance,” insisted MP Bruno Bonnell. This controversy "may seem anecdotal but it means that we are no longer able to enforce the same rules everywhere and for all" , laments the deputy LR Éric Ciotti. This decree "marks that the Republic is now more and more fragmented" , he adds.
Historical rivalry
Thus, the Marseille police headquarters decided to maintain strict recommendations for Parisian supporters, "urged not to wear ostentatious signs in public spaces and to show moderation in their possible celebrations so as not to to be taken to task ” .
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In question, the historic rivalry between PSG and OM. For the time being, the Marseille City club is the only one in France to be able to boast of having been crowned European champion on May 26, 1993. Bernard Tapie was then at the head of the club. Today he invites the Marseillais "not to envy" the PSG. "Be happy, you will forever be the first," he confided to Le Figaro , referring to the slogan of the time. "No need to go provoking, the fight is useless," pleads Bernard Tapie today, calling on the supporters "to replace the arms of honor with noses".
"The police forces deployed around the Old Port will be particularly vigilant in order to prevent the action of any troublemaker, without exception" , warned the authorities, who expect, in the event of a victory for PSG, to large gatherings on public roads. And this, in a tense health context.