Chelsea Fans Reportedly Sprayed with Tear Gas by Police During PSG Match

Chelsea supporters who travelled to the Parc des Princes to see their team take on Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday were reportedly targeted with tear gas by French police.

According to Oliver Todd of the MailOnline, the measures were used inside the stadium after “confrontation between fans and police.” 

It’s suggested in the piece that supporters in the upper tier of the away section were forced out of their seats in the latter stages of the first half due to the irritant being sprayed, meaning they missed John Obi Mikel’s equalising goal in the 2-1 loss.

As noted by Todd, it’s the second year running in which the Blues supporters have been targeted by tear gas.

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The two played each other at the same stage of the competition in the 2014-15 season and Daniel Taylor and Ben Quinn of the Guardian reported at the time that the fans were sprayed by police outside the ground during "scuffles involving Chelsea fans."

A video also surfaced of away supporters singing racist songs and not letting a black man board the Paris Metro.

As reported by Geraint Hughes of Sky Sports, there was a large police presence at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, with memories of last year’s terror attacks in Paris still fresh in the minds of many. 

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On the field, both sides will have been contented with the final result, as PSG will take a 2-1 lead back to London.

A deflected Zlatan Ibrahimovic free-kick gave the hosts the lead before Mikel, an unlikely scorer, levelled for the visitors just before half-time. Edinson Cavani came off the bench to net a winner for the French champions, but with an away goal secured, Guus Hiddink’s side will fancy their chances at Stamford Bridge in the second leg.