French police fired tear gas on football fans as clashes erupted on the streets of Paris following Argentinaโs sensational win in FIFA World Cup final in Qatar.
The riot police clashed with fans on the famous Champs-Elysees in Paris as flares were lit up and fireworks hit the skies after the tense game, a report in The Sun said.
Local reports said people gathered in bars and restaurants to watch the match as rowdy fans chanted and hundreds of cars paraded sounding their horns and waving flags from the windows.
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Police said 115 arrests had been made in Paris so far, French outlet Le Parisien reported.
Thousands of fans had massed in Paris and other French cities hoping for victory in the World Cup final, but their national teamโs lost to Argentina cutting the parties short. A thrilling match in Qatar finished 3-3 afer extra-time before France lost a nailbiting shootout to Lionel Messiโs Argentina side 4-2.
Clashes were also reported in other cities in France where football fans descended en masse to the streets in Lyon and Nice.
In the French city of Montpellier, shocking footage also showed fans chucking chairs, fireworks and rocks at riot cops - and climbing the landmark fountain.
Visuals showed people darting for cover as fireworks were flung across a square. In Lyon, riot cops fired tear gas on football fans as violence broke out in the city.
Several social media users put out videos of chaos on the streets of Paris and Lyon as people flee the tear gas shells fired by the police.
Public flee in their cars as running riots hit the streets of Lyon, France. Truly, this is sad, wrong and unacceptable!!! This world has gone mad it seemsโฆ pic.twitter.com/CpzFnem48qโ Betty Freedom (@LynMari24290294) December 18, 2022
The police could be heard yelling โturn around" at rioters as water cannons reportedly moved in to break up the crowds, the report added.
๐คฏ Violent riots take place in #France after the defeat of the national team in the final of the World Cup.#FIFAWorldCup #FIFAWorldCup2022 #WorldCupFinal #WorldCup2022 #FrancevsArgentina #football #FIFAWorldCupFinal #Paris #FIFAWorldCupQatar2022 #Qatar2022 #QatarWorldCup pic.twitter.com/ES2BIUvqmyโ Albina Fella โ ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ง๐ช๐บ๐ซ๐ท๐ต๐ฑ๐บ๐ธ๐ (@albafella1) December 18, 2022
Police have reportedly arrested dozens of fans in Lyon.
In French city of Nice, videos showed emergency vehicles driving over burning rubbish bins on the street as clashes erupted in the city.
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But, on the other hand, the scenes near the Argentine embassy in Paris was different. At the embassy, a few blocks from the iconic Arc de Triomphe monument, dozens of Argentinian fans erupted in joy after the victory.
Earlier on Sunday, over 14,000 police officers were deployed across France to guarantee security as Les Bleus took on Argentina in the World Cup final.
Riots have erupted across Europe after several World Cup games in recent weeks.
Clashes has erupted in France and Belgium after French victory over Morocco on Wednesday. Moroccan fans had resorted to violence after the countryโs defeat in the World Cup semi-finals unleashed scenes of destruction on the streets of France, using flares and fireworks.
A 14-year-old boy was killed when violent clashes erupted across France following their World Cup victory over Morocco.
The police were pummelled by fireworks in Paris as thousands poured into the streets to celebrate after France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach the World Cup final. There were chaotic scenes as fans bombarded riot cops with a stream of fireworks before the officers were forced to flee.
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