Two French revellers died and a third was feared drowned after more than half-a-million football fans took to the streets early on Thursday to celebrate their side’s qualification for the World Cup final.
Across France the night’s celebrations were mostly peaceful — if noisy — with firecrackers and fireworks competing with drums and car horns to fete France’s 1-0 victory over Portugal, courtesy of a Zinedine Zidane penalty.
The situation turned unruly in the small hours in Paris, Lyon and Zidane’s home city of Marseille, where police used teargas to disperse groups of youths, arresting 189 people in Paris alone.
Several people were seriously injured in brawls and traffic accidents as well as the two confirmed dead.
In central Paris, an 18-year-old man was crushed to death as he tried to jump between the roofs of two metro trains at Opera station, police said.
A young man was also missing, feared drowned, in the south-eastern city of Lyon after jumping off a bridge into the River Saone with a group of friends.
And in the northern town of Lens, a 20-year-old woman was killed in a car accident minutes after the French win, police said. She had been leaning out of the car window to celebrate, and was crushed when the driver veered off the road to avoid a pedestrian.
But for most French people, it was a night of joyous celebration, with cries of ”Zizou! Zizou!” — as France captain Zinedine Zidane is known here — ringing out late into the night.
Half-a-million people flooded the streets of the capital to celebrate, with many converging on the famous Champs-Elysees — which was filled with a million revellers when France won the World Cup on home soil in 1998.
The Champs-Elysees festivities turned nasty shortly before 2am local time when small groups of youths threw bottles and other projectiles at police, who responded with teargas and charged forward to make arrests.
One shop window was smashed along the avenue, but the overall damage was minor and calm returned within two hours.
There was more trouble at a sports stadium in the south of Paris, where an 18-year-old man was stabbed as he watched the match on a giant screen. He was hospitalised with serious injuries, and an inquiry has been opened.
Police used tear gas to disperse the stadium crowd after several fights broke out, and several people were led away by stewards for letting off smoke canisters.
Elsewhere in Paris, three people were injured when a motorcyclist lost control of his bike and ploughed into them. The bike rider and his passenger were also injured.
South of Paris in the Essonne department, firefighters were called out for dozens of minor arson attacks, as youths torched around 40 garbage cans and 15 cars, and two police officers were slightly injured by a firecracker.
And in south-eastern Grenoble, 12 people were arrested after hurling beer cans at police — and 14 people were hurt in street brawls.
There were similar scenes between police and youths in Lyon where telephone booths and cars were damaged in the city centre and some people suffered slight injuries in the confusion.
And in Marseille, police made 20 arrests during the post-match celebrations, firing teargas to disperse a crowd that threw beer cans and other projectiles.
Up to 25-million people tuned in to watch the French side battle for a chance to play Italy in Sunday’s final in Berlin — the highest audience recorded in France since 1989, according to TF1 television.
In the Algerian village of Aguemoune, 260km east of Algiers, where Zidane’s parents come from, the crowd followed every kick of the match.
The Cafe de Zizou, named in honour of the inspirational midfielder, erupted in joy at the final whistle and people hugged, kissed and danced, while owner Said Arkoub kept his promise of a round of drinks on the house. — AFP
