Armed police officers crack down on French fans angered by the penalty loss to Argentina in the World Cup final

Armed police used tear gas on the streets of Paris tonight after riots broke out following the World Cup defeat by Argentina.

After the game, football fans flocked to the streets of the country’s largest cities, Paris, Lyon and Nice.

Officials quelled a disturbance on the Champs-Elysees as flares were lit and firecrackers went off, The Sun reports.

Around 14,000 police officers were on duty across France tonight to ensure security as Les Bleus faced Argentina in the World Cup final, officials said on Friday.

French National Police confront a man lying on the ground on the Champs-Elysees in Paris

Police clear the Champs-Elysees near the Arc de Triomphe after France’s defeat in the final soccer match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

The security operation, unveiled to the public on Friday by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, saw a concentration of forces in Paris, where huge crowds were expected in the event of victory.

The Champs-Elysées was the scene of major celebrations during France’s previous World Cup triumphs in 1998 and 2018, four years ago 600,000 people cheered and danced there. The avenue was closed to traffic on Sunday and 2,750 officers were stationed nearby.

Police will be on the alert for troublemakers after around 40 far-right sympathizers were arrested on Wednesday night as they tried to join a crowd of revelers after France beat Morocco in the semi-finals.

“They came to start a fight,” Darmanin told reporters.

A total of around 115 people were arrested after the Morocco game in Paris earlier this week and clashes erupted last Saturday after France’s quarter-final win when police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The aftermath of Wednesday’s game was also overshadowed by the death of a 14-year-old boy in the southern city of Montpellier, who was hit by a car with trailers.

Police are still looking for the white hatchback driver involved in the accident.

Around 14,000 police officers were on duty across France tonight to ensure security when Les Bleus take on Argentina in the World Cup final, officials said on Friday

France fans react on the Champs-Elysees during the final match between France and Argentina

French National Police form a security cordon on the Champs-Elysees following France’s defeat in the final soccer match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

A fatal accident occurred in 2019 in the same poverty-stricken area of ​​the city, Paillade, when a driver lost control of his vehicle and hit a mother and her baby after an Africa Cup of Nations match.

Using concrete blocks painted blue, white and red, police cordoned off the Champs-Elysées to traffic in anticipation that it would be flooded by crowds of revelers on Sunday.

People rallied and fireworks were let off into the sky as France twice equalised, but they were left with a sense of disappointment.

But after the suffering of the penalty shoot-out, the Champs-Elysées and crowded bars were quickly empty, and cold rain added to the grief.

“I’m heartbroken,” said 18-year-old Oscar Schuman. “I’m prouder than anything.

“It was a battle of the gods. In this game I went through all the emotions.’

Hundreds of thousands of Argentines flocked to the sunlit streets of Buenos Aires on Sunday, ecstatic after a nerve-wracking victory

A total of 12,800 police officers will also be on duty in France on Saturday for the tie-breaker for third place between Morocco and Croatia.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Argentines flocked to the sunlit streets of Buenos Aires on Sunday, ecstatic after a thrilling penalty shoot-out win over France in the World Cup final saw the South Americans become world champions for the first time since 1986.

In a thrilling roller-coaster match played in Qatar in front of around 88,000 fans, Argentina, led by star Lionel Messi, won their third World Cup after beating France, the holders, 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw after extension.

“I can not believe it! It was difficult but we did it, thanks to Messi,” said 13-year-old Santiago, who celebrated the win with his family in front of the Buenos Aires home owned by the late football icon Diego Maradona, who led the team in 1986.