The mayor of Paris had announced the creation of a fan zone to broadcast the Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal on May 30. But on Monday, Emmanuel Gregoire ultimately confirmed that his project had fallen through.
A PSG supporter, who was not the case with Anne Hidalgo, the new mayor of the capital, had mentioned organizing a fan zone in the euphoria of qualification after the match in Munich.
However, Gregoire was quickly brought back to reality. Namely, the damage caused in Paris by thugs after the match against Bayern, and the slap on the wrist from the police chief and the Interior Ministry, who deemed the idea not at all realistic, given the enormous security apparatus that would have been needed on May 30 to accommodate those who cannot go to Budapest to see the final against Arsenal.
So, the mayor of Paris ultimately decided to cancel everything, aware that it was difficult for him to go against the directives of those who would still have to ensure the city's security after this clash.
Because, in addition to the PSG-Arsenal final, other very popular events will take place in Paris and the nearby suburbs on the same day, in a fairly crazy overlap. "I obviously heard the reservations of the police prefecture, I know that they are also those of the Interior Minister. Reason obliges me to hear them."
"Because on that weekend, there is a concentration of events almost unique in history at such a time. We have 80,000 people at the Stade de France (Aya Nakamura), 40,000 people at La Defense Arena (Damso), 16,000 at Bercy (Bouss), and, obviously, the Parc des Princes will be open. And we also have a Stade Francais match against Bayonne (Top 14) at Jean-Bouin," the mayor of Paris noted on Monday at a press conference.
So, no fan zone in Paris. The mayor of Paris now counts on PSG to, as last year, offer its supporters the chance to come to the Parc des Princes to watch the PSG-Arsenal final on giant screens. According to the latest information coming from PSG, tickets for this broadcast should go on sale very quickly, with the club currently focusing on organizing the trip to Budapest.
But it could be that by the end of the week, tickets for this Parisian broadcast of the final will already be offered first to season ticket holders who did not get tickets for PSG-Arsenal, and then to the general public.
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