A “catastrophic organization”, an “ultra-extensive search” and supporters “clubbed for no reason”.
This is what many PSG fans present this Wednesday at the Luz stadium in Lisbon (Portugal) denounce for the Champions League shock against Benfica (1-1).
A trip that will remain marked in their memory and not for the right reasons, beyond the draw conceded by their club.
The evening of some 3,000 fans present in the Portuguese capital begins at 5.30 p.m.
The meeting is given on the huge Place du Commerce, on the banks of the Tagus.
The atmosphere is good-natured and the procession sets off a quarter of an hour later.
The trip to the Luz stadium, located 8 km north of the city, is done by metro for 25 to 30 minutes.
Before the tension escalates.
“It was a mess in the metro, says Thibaut, who came with several friends.
We were stuck for 45 minutes at the exit and I have a friend who was hit in the thighs with a truncheon for no reason at the edge of the procession.
It was a bit shocking.
“The exit from the metro is a bit like at the Stade de France, explains Enzo.
We cross a kind of alley to get to the stadium.
There were Benfica fans on both sides and lines of police to prevent contact.
But there was not a hostile atmosphere.
And that didn't stop the police from charging.
»
I take a baton when I have done nothing, for the scandalous search!!!!
#policelisbon #psgbenfica #PSG #benficapsg pic.twitter.com/SDKnBV25Ym
— sh (@simon_henocq) October 6, 2022
The road to the entrance to the visitor parking lot continues in a tense climate.
It is then nearly 7 p.m. local time, sixty minutes from kick-off.
“The organization was catastrophic, notes Enzo, used to PSG's European trips (Madrid, Manchester, Dortmund, etc.).
We came back bit by bit.
I arrived in the stadium between the 15th and 20th minute of play. And I saw some come back much later.
»
Smoke bombs among PSG supporters
The reason ?
“An ultra-extensive, even very limited excavation, continues Thibaut.
It took two or three minutes per person.
With 3,000 guys, there's some waiting time.
We know that it can be tense on certain trips.
But, there, there was no animosity, no nervousness.
It was quiet.
The incomprehension of this abusive search is felt all the more.
"I've never been searched like that," says Enzo.
I lived concerts two months after the Paris attacks with six different searches but never like this.
To be clear, the guy must have spent ten or fifteen seconds touching my genitals to check if there was anything.
It's very long.
In front of me, a woman experienced the same thing.
She was moving forward but saying out loud that it was crazy and awkward.
»
Once seated in the stands, PSG fans were able to enjoy a Lionel Messi wonder despite the pre-match events.
But they also saw that the search was not as extensive among Benfica supporters when smoke bombs were lit on the other side of the stadium at the end of the first period.
Despite everything, “leaving the stadium went well,” concludes Enzo.
According to several Portuguese journalists, similar facts were denounced during the visit of Maccabi Haifa on September 6.