French police arrested more than 80 Croatian soccer fans Tuesday morning ahead of a match between Paris Saint Germain and Dinamo Zagreb, police officials said, amid fears of possible hooliganism.
Some Croatian fans have also been barred from entering a certain zone of the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Tuesday evening, prefecture spokesman Franck Ernotte said.
The Croatian fans are in the French capital as their club plays the Paris side in a Champions League match, due to kick off at 8:45 p.m. local time.
Clashes broke out between supporters of the two clubs near the Place de la Bastille in central Paris on Monday evening, CNN affiliate BFM-TV reported.
One Croatian fan was badly injured in the fracas, according to BFM-TV. The confrontation started with verbal insults but soon turned violent, with some fans carrying batons and tear gas canisters, the channel reported.
Dinamo Zagreb has yet to win a match in its group of four in the Champions League, with three games played. PSG is in second place in the group.
In a bid to ward off trouble, Croatia turned back dozens of PSG fans on their way to Zagreb in October for the opening fixture between the two sides. French Interior Minister Manuel Valls had in turn issued an order Sunday banning Zagreb fans from traveling to Paris for Tuesday’s game.
This is not the first time Croatian football fans have been under the spotlight. The national football association was fined during the Euro 2012 tournament this summer for unruly behavior by hardcore supporters. And last year, the head of European football’s governing body, the Union of European Football Associations, met with the Croatian president to stress the importance of tackling football-related violence.
