Paris Saint-Germain locked horns with Benfica in their third group-stage match of the 2022/23 Champions League campaign. With Christophe Galtier’s side notching up a 1-1 draw, a series of reports after the game has revealed that the travelling fans from Paris had to face harassment due to excessive searches carried out by Portuguese stewards in front of Estádio da Luz.
In testimony to RMC Sport, multiple Parisien supporters voiced that they were victims of extensive searches before entering the stadium on Wednesday evening. A member of the Collectif Ultra Paris (CUP), Paul-Henry Strasser (alias Paulo) who travelled in a group of six men, even accused a steward of intentionally touching his genitals. Speaking to RMC Sport, he said:
“The steward came up to me, pulls my shorts down and starts lifting my boxers. He had his hands inside my shorts and was feeling my genitals. I still have a trembling voice.”
Paulo added:
“On the female side, it was the same thing, with the hands in bras and thongs, and touching the genitals. That’s what happened, and I would like this message to be heard by everyone.”
A female supporter, named Edith, was asked to tell her side of the story. She told RMC Sport:
“We arrived at the search, and that was the moment that shocked me the most. I am a fan who often travels to the Champions League fixtures, and it was humiliating. At first, I didn’t react, I thought it was a search, it was normal, it just went a bit further than usual. After a while, I felt uneasy, there was something wrong with the search.”
Reacting to the testimonies, PSG confirmed that they would ask UEFA to shed light on the incidents. Following the allegations of fans’ mistreatment, Benfica released a statement, saying, “The searches of PSG supporters were carried out under the supervision of the police and no irregularities were reported.”
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