The move has been made to prevent ‘public disturbances’ ahead of the UEFA Champions League final
The city of Marseille has made it illegal to wear PSG shirts in the city centre on Champions League final night.
Despite being some 480 miles apart, Paris Saint Germain and Marseille contest a bitter rivalry, being two of the most successful and best-supported clubs in France.
To prevent any violence or public disturbances, police chiefs in southern France have made it illegal to wear PSG shirts in Marseille city centre on Sunday.
PSG go up against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final. The Parisian club overcame RB Leipzig 3-0 in the semi-final on Tuesday, and disturbances after this match have prompted police to act.
PSG are through to the Champions League final after defeating RB Leipzig. (Photo: Getty)Bouches-du-Rhône police chiefs have made it an offence “to wear PSG colours”, which includes scarves as well as PSG shirts. The order also bans the use of pyrotechnic devices.
These measures come after a number of hostile incidents in the Old Part area of Marseille on Tuesday night. After PSG defeated RB Leipzig to reach the final, around 100 Marseille fans congregated in the area with aggressive anti-PSG chanting.
According to French news outlet Le Parisien, many eyewitnesses reported that Marseille fans then hunted down PSG fans, or people they suspected of supporting PSG.
One man in a PSG jersey was made to take it off, while a Marseille supporter was arrested for his part in attacking a PSG fan.
After trouble erupted, two venues in the Old Port area were forced to stop screening the PSG-Leipzig match before it had even finished due to pressure from locals.
Police assert that these measures have been taken to “prevent any disturbance to public order”, regardless of any pre-arranged football violence.
If PSG come out on top, it will be the first time in the club’s history they will have lifted the UEFA Champions League. Bayern are looking to get their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2013, when they defeated compatriots Borussia Dortmund in the final.
