Hear The Sirens

Pearl Jam, „Sirens“ (2013)

There were sirens galore in Paris during the Champions League final. Here’s an attempt to explain why.

The football stadium is a double tragedy, writes the French anthropologist Éric Wittersheim in a study about the supporters of Paris Saint-Germain, PSG. Firstly, it is a social tragedy as people who are watching are condemned to do so passively. Secondly, it is a tragedy of limited space which provides ample space for all societal ills to come to the fore: racism, violence, …

Thankfully, the violence has largely been ousted from football grounds, bar some exceptions. However, violence can not be eliminated entirely and will always find its way, like water. This is what has happened in Paris during and after the 2026 Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal. In fact, any footballing triumph for a French side is now automatically the cause for violence. And in the case of PSG, the death toll over the last couple of years has been three.

Football, Paris and Violence – that’s a sad trinity.

The Dutch journalist Simon Kuper has recently written that football has become fashionable in Paris in recent years. While wearing a PSG shirt in the early 2000s meant social death, it has become fashionable of late to wear the colours of Paris’ richest club. This may be so. In fact, ever since the take over of PSG by the Qatari state investment fund in 2011, the identity of the club has changed significantly. Yet Kuper’s conclusion is missing an important point: most of the supporters of PSG come from outside the city’s geographical boundaries, i.e. from the suburbs. And these suburbs have been neglected for years – still are – by those in power. For years, if not decades, these people had no place in Paris – PSG provided them an entry. Their presence does not always go down well with the Parisians who largely consider football as a sport and its supporters unworthy their dignity.

selfishness, violence and instant gratification

Why such violence, though? This can only be explained by a stoked up anger and frustration among those who deliberately destroy rental bikes, set cars on fire, smash bus shelters and fight with the police whenever and wherever they have the possibility. As is usual, there are people who attend such celebrations in order to cause unrest, to stir chaos and initiate violence. Though these are the minority, their actions make football fans look like wild hordes without any behaviour. Let’s face it, people in the suburbs, especially those to the north east of Paris have very different experiences, more violent ones, hence their inclination towards violence. It would not be an exaggeration to state that some of those troublemakers have never set a foot inside a football stadium, let alone that they care about football. They care about violence, having an outlet and seeing their actions on the respective media platforms.

This is, however, short sighted. The other side, the police, are no angels either. And this is not limited to France alone. Yet, experiences in France and Paris confirm that they do not hesitate to use violence or whatever means they possess to disperse football crowds. The use of tear gas is widespread and whoever has been near a cloud of this substance knows: it stings and immobilises for quite some time. Therefore, either side of the equation stands guilty as charged.

all fans are violent? not all, but it’s complicated

Wittigheim states that there is a presumption that all football supporters are inherently violent and uncultured people. The scenes in Paris, around the Parc des Princes and on the Champs Élysées will surely prove those who argue that way right. Yet, this is too easy an explanation. In Boulogne-Billancourt, a posh suburb to the west of Paris, that pretends to be like Paris but tidier, a group of about 80 young PSG supporters initiated a march through the town centre singing, chanting, lighting flares and generally spreading a positive atmosphere. Yet, this may be limited to such a well-off neighbourhood but it shows that a non-violent celebration of this historical feat is possible and indeed laudible. It is therefore also the task of the media to paint a varied image of football fans, more inclusive and in depth, informed by verified information and not just sensationalism and click bait.

While PSG has undergone an metamorphosis from an unloved club with little to no funds to sign top players into one of the richest in the world, capable of attracting top talents such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. However, the same cannot be said of its supporters. The core of their supporters originate from the suburbs or from further afield. With success comes confidence, comes swagger – something not liked by the locals of the 16th arrondissement of Paris.

This article is based on lengthy conversations with Jerome Pugmire, AP journalist, based in Paris.