Seven PSG ultras sanctioned for lighting flares during Real Madrid clash

Match had to be stopped on two occasions

Posted Saturday, March 10, 2018 by Marca.com

Real Madrid arrived in Paris expecting a challenging atmosphere on Tuesday, and they weren't wrong, however seven Paris-Saint Germain ultras have since been sanctioned for lighting flares during the Champions League tie.

Flares, firecrackers and smoke canisters all contributed to an atmosphere from a bygone era in European football, with referee Felix Brych forced to stop the match on two separate occasions.

Cristiano Ronaldo's opening goal was scored amidst a backdrop of smoke, after PSG supporters let several flares off right at the beginning of the second half.

The aforementioned seven supporters were handed a punishment which prohibits them from entering sports stadiums, this was confirmed in a statement released by Paris police commissioner, Michel Delpuech, on Friday morning.

"A significant number of flares were brought into the stadium and near 150 were ignited," he explained.

"It's the responsibility of the club to prevent these incidents.

"It's not acceptable that these events can happen in a match of such importance, we must stop the continued drift towards violence."

This isn't the first incident of its kind involving Paris-Saint Germain this season, in the clash with Nice in October there was a similar situation, whilst the rivalry match against Marseille in late February was also stopped at one point.