PSG hooligans ‘intentionally focusing on Aston Villa followers’ as police launch crackdown forward of Prince William’s anticipated arrival in Paris bother hotspot for Champions League recreation

French police have launched a major crackdown on fan misbehaviour ahead of a huge European match which Prince William is expected to attend. 

Reports suggest that William, an avid Aston Villa supporter, will be in Paris to watch the Villans take on local team Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarter final this evening.

However, his expected visit to the Parc des Princes comes amid huge fan violence in the French capital, with footage of fans scrapping outside a bar in Paris going viral on social media. 

In footage shared by Footy Away Days on X, punches and chairs were thrown in the streets between the two sets of supporters, with the fan behind the camera muttering, ‘F***ing hell’, as the chaos was unfolding. 

The video of the brawl was taken in Pigalle, a Parisian red light district which boasts the Moulin Rouge cabaret, as well as many other nightspots and drinking establishments.

According to The Sun, an investigative source close to the French police has claimed that Aston Villa supporters were intentionally targeted by a violent gang of PSG hooligans.

‘That’s when the trouble started. A large gang of PSG ultras, many of them with hoods pulled up, turned up ready for a fight,’ the newspaper’s source said.

‘They knew who they were looking for – anybody supporting Aston Villa. The Aston Villa fans were deliberately targeted.’

The source added: ‘Gangs like this are used to carrying out these types of attacks – they hit hard, and then melt away into the night.’

William has followed Unai Emery’s side’s journey in Europe’s premier competition closely this season, and has been spotted in the stands cheering on the west Midlands club.  

A spokesperson from the Paris police also told the newspaper that no arrests had been made following the shocking incident and that the footage was ‘being looked at’.

It is claimed a gang referring to themselves as ‘PSG hooligans’, who are believed to be a continuation of the disbanded far-right group Kop of Boulogne, have taken responsibility for the incident. 

Kop of Boulogne was forced to dissolve in 2008 following a series of targeted attacks on supporters from black and Arabic backgrounds.

In an effort to crackdown on fan violence, French authorities have deployed five mobile units and significantly ramped up security at train stations, according to RMC.

A mobile force unit has been tasked specifically with monitoring the actions of Aston Villa supporters, who are travelling to Paris to watch their club play in a Champions League quarter-final for the first time since the 1982-83 campaign.

According to English law firm Football Law Associates, any Aston Villa fans caught violently brawling with other supporters risk potential extradition to the French courts and prison time.

With only a mere 2,000 seats allocated to the Premier League club, approximately 1,000 fans are set to travel to Paris without tickets.

As a result, and despite no history of animosity between the two sets of fans, the clash at the Parc des Princes has been ranked three on a scale of five (five being the highest) by the National Division in the Fight Against Hooliganism, which means that there is ‘the risk of trouble’. 

Following a worrying ‘explosion’ of fan incidents at French football games this season, authorities have taken steps to clamp down on violence.

A statement released last month by the French interior ministry read: ‘Since the start of the 2024-2025 season, we have witnessed a veritable explosion of violence during professional football matches.

‘No fewer than 64 matches have been marked by serious incidents . Since the start of the season, 627 arrests have been made on the sidelines of professional football matches, an increase of 41 per cent compared to last season, when there were a total of 718. 

‘The Ministry of the Interior is awaiting a return to calm and an end to violence by the supporters’ clubs in question. Stadium bans and dissolutions will no longer be necessary once public order is respected and violence has ceased. 

‘Professional football clubs, football authorities, and supporters’ clubs have a role to play in calming the situation alongside the public authorities.’

Just last week, the French interior ministry proposed a ban on Legion X, a fan group who support second-tier football club Paris FC, due to it being involved with serious violent incidents for years.

There were also concerns ahead of last summer’s Olympics when Marseille’s clash with Lyon was called off when the visitors’ bus was pelted with stones and beer bottles, leaving Lyon coach Fabio Grosso with facial injuries. 

Some of the Olympic football matches were played in Marseille but fortunately they passed without major trouble.

Meanwhile, in December 2023, Villa’s Europa League victory over Legia Warsaw was overshadowed by violence outside Villa Park as 46 men were arrested and charged by West Midlands Police. One officer who was engulfed by flames after being hit by a flare suffered burns.

When the Premier League club launched an official complaint to UEFA, Legia Warsaw responded by blaming their hosts’ ticket distribution policy and matchday policing.

Aston Villa head into the crucial Champions League tie following a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.