Supporters of Paris Saint-Germain F.C.

The Supporters of Paris Saint-Germain F.C. are known as parisiens (parisians). In France, AbOUT 11% of the population are said to be PSG sympathisers, surpassed only by those of Olympique de Marseille (20%) with Olympique Lyon tied with PSG and Girondins de Bordeaux close behind with 10%. Worldwide, Paris Saint-Germain is also the second most popular french club, surpassed only by Olympique de Marseille and followed close behind by Olympique Lyonnais. The current president of the French government, Nicolas Sarkozy, is one of the club's most prominent supporters. Other famous PSG fans include Robbie Williams, Richard Gasquet, Kool Shen, Michaël Llodra, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Guy Carlier, Francis Huster, Cédric Pioline, François Berléand, André Dussollier, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Pascal Elbé, JoeyStarr, Cyril Hanouna , to name but a few.

PSG are known to draw their support from both far-right white nationalists and a cross-section of Île de France's multi-ethnic population. The Boulogne Boys now stand at the Boulogne end of the Parc des Princes. Some nationalists stand at the far right. The Boulogne Boys have been fighting other PSG fans for years. However, the simplistic notion that the Boulogne Boys are all far-right supporters has been disavowed as many supporters have rejected the attempts of right-wing parties to infiltrate their ranks.

Kop of Boulogne

The Kop of Boulogne (KOB) is an area in the Parc des Princes which houses supporters groups associated with the French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). It is known as the "most notorious stand in French football" due to its links with violence and far-right political groups and is a symbol for football hooliganism and political extremism within French culture.

Officially, the "Kop" as an idea (as opposed to the actual physical section of the stadium) has existed since July 1978; however the first stage in its development goes back to September 1976. In this year, the first PSG supporters club, 'Les Amis du PSG', was created and presided over by Guy Adam, with the aim of reserving a section in the 'Boulogne' stand of PSG's stadium, the Parc des Princes, for young Parisian supporters. As a result of the cheap ticket prices in this section of the stadium, a large number of young PSG fans began sitting in the area and assigned the anglicised name "Kop of Boulogne" to it after Liverpool F.C.'s famous Spion Kop stand at Anfield.

The KOB is more than simply a name for a section of the stadium: it has emerged as a 'catch all' term for a number of supporters groups housed in the stand and almost constitutes an organisation in its own right. T-shirts, posters, pennants and other items are sold displaying the KOB logo (a bulldog on a French flag) and protests held under the KOB name are a frequent occurrence. The KOB has been linked with hooliganism since the 1980s and continutes to be associated with violent elements within the PSG support. Indeed, the Kop has become synonymous in French public opinion with not only football hooliganism, but racism and fascism due to a number of high profile incidents.

The most recent of these occurred in November 2006 when Julien Quemener, a member of the 'Boulogne Boys' (a group associated with the KOB), was shot dead following a UEFA Cup match between PSG and Hapoel Tel Aviv. The incident occurred after a plain clothes policeman intervened when a group of PSG fans attempted to attack a Hapoel fan outside the stadium. The violent nature of the incident and allegations of racism against the fans involved led to high profile media coverage and a number of government interventions to crack down on football violence within the country.

Hooliganism

There has been a large rise of violence in French football and much has been attributed to PSG supporters. In the 90s, fans of PSG fought with supporters from Belgium, England, Germany, Italy and Scotland. In 2000, the bitter rivalry between PSG and Marseille turned violent. On 24 May 2001, fifty people were injured when fighting broke out at a match between PSG and Turkish club Galatasaray at the Parc des Princes. PSG were initially given a record $571,000 fine, but it was reduced on appeal to $114,000. Galatasaray was initially fined $114,000 by UEFA, but it too was eventually reduced to $28,500. In May 2001, six PSG fans from the Supporters Club, were arrested and charged with assault, carrying weapons, throwing items on the pitch and racism. The six were alleged to have deliberately entered a part of the Parc des Princes stadium where French fans of Turkish origin were standing, in order to attack them. The six were banned from all football stadiums for the duration of their trial.

In the 2005 season, Auxerre police had the bizarre sight of PSG fans fighting each other within their own enclosure. Similar clashes since then have occurred in Toulouse, Lens and Paris. One fan said to the BBC "Most of the people are just here to support the team - I don't think the violence comes from supporters, just stupid guys from both sides, here to fight, they should just go and fight on a field, not at the Parc des Princes". PSG chairman Pierre Blayau told the BBC that "while the club is doing all it can, it is reaching the limit of its powers, we could do still more in the way of education, we could launch still more anti-discrimination campaigns, to explain why football should remain entertainment, driven by values of mutual respect. But there comes a point where the individuals who behave badly and cross the line - and I mean individuals, they're not supporters - become delinquents, both in our eyes and those of the authorities. In that case, the club doesn't have the powers of the police or the judiciary"

In 2006, a motorway service station near Nantes was destroyed as two PSG groups clashed using baseball bats.

On 24 November 2006 a PSG fan was shot and killed by police and another seriously injured during fighting between PSG fans and the police. The violence occurred after PSG lost 4-2 to Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv at the Parc des Prince in a UEFA Cup match. PSG fans chased a fan of Hapoel Tel Aviv, shouting racist and anti-semitic slogans. A plainclothes police officer who tried to protect the Hapoel fan was attacked, and in the chaos, one fan was shot dead and another seriously injured. In response, the French Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy held a meeting with the president of the French Football League, Frederic Thiriez to discuss racism and violence in football. The director-general of the French police, Michel Gaudin, insisted that measures against football hooliganism had reduced racist incidents to six that season from nineteen in the previous season. Gaudin also stated that 300 known hooligans could be banned from matches. The fan who was shot, was linked with the Boulogne Boys, a group of fans who modelled themselves on British hooligans in the 80s. The group's name coming from the Kop of Boulogne (KOB), one of the two main home fan stand at the Parc des Princes. The KOB themselves held a silent memorial march attended by 300 and accused the police office of murdering the fan. They cited bias in the French press who had only given a "one-sided" account of the incident. French President Jacques Chirac condemned violence that led up to the shooting, stating that he was horrified by the reports of racism and anti-Semitism. And French Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin called for new, tougher measures to deal with football hooligans. Prosecutors opened an inquiry into the incident, to determine whether the officer involved should face criminal charges.

Before a home match against Sochaux on 4 January 2006, two Arab youths were punched and kicked by white fans outside the entrance to the KOB. During the match racist insults were aimed at black players and a PSG player of Indian origin, Vikash Dhorasoo was told to "go sell peanuts in the metro". On 7 March 2006, three PSG supporters were convicted for unfurling a racist banner at a match in February 2005, that was being held as part of an anti-racism campaign. The fans were banned from the stadium for three years, and fined between $90 and $1,200.

After inflammatory banners that said that Lens fans were "paedophiles and inbred" were displayed in the 2008 Coupe de la Ligue final at the Stade de France, the Boulogne Boys were told by the French Interior Minister that the they must disband or they will face jail time.

PSG eventually beat Lens and took home the Coupe de la Ligue 2007–08. Lens mayor, Guy Delcourt, wanted the match to be replayed after a PSG fan unfurled a racist banner midway through the game. The match was not replayed, but PSG were fined and penalized. One of the penalties being that they would be unable to participate in next's year League Cup, however this was later overturned on appeal.

Paris Saint-Germain and the Media

Polls made by Ipsos in 2006 and Taylor Nelson Sofres in 2007, showed that PSG was the third most popular club in France after Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille. In 2009, polls showed that PSG was the second most popular club in France behind Marseille and tied with Lyon. According to a study made by the Institut français d'opinion publique in 2009, an 11% of France's population preferred PSG.

PSG's players and managers are among the targets of the satirical programme Les Guignols de l'info on Canal +. Some music hall comedians also reference PSG in their performances, such as Élie and Dieudonné duo in the late 90s. In other movies or novels, characters are simply supporters of PSG. This is particularly the case of Patrick Timsit and Dany Boon in Paparazzi (1998) and My Best Friend (2006) respectively. Renaud Séchan, the most Parisian of Olympique de Marseille's fans, quotes PSG in his song Les Bobos in 2006.

The media plays an important role in the club because of the large number of redactions about PSG. This media pressure, unique in France, maintains a climate sometimes unhealthy. Newspapers such as Le Parisien and L'Équipe have a daily column about the club.

The club publishes an official website, psg.fr, a monthly magazine, 100% PSG. and a web TV station, PSG TV. The first match broadcast live on television was the Coupe de France final on 15 May 1982.

Groups of Supporters

Virage Auteuil

• Supras Auteuil 1991 (Auteuil Bleu Droite)
• Lutèce Falco 1991 (Auteuil Bleu Gauche) (Sections : Irish Clan 1994, Veterani, Baby Squad)
• Karsud (Auteuil Bleu Centre)
• Kriek Paris 1999 (Auteuil Bleu Porte Gauche)
• Ultras Grinta 2009
• Unité Amok (Auteuil Bleu Porte Droite)
• Titans (Auteuil Bleu Porte Gauche)
• Tigris Mystic 1993
• Dragon's
• Sus Scrofa

Kop of Boulogne

• Boulogne Boys
• Tifo E Stupido (Boulogne Bleu B3)
• Gavroches (Boulogne Bleu B2)
• Rangers Paris 1995 (Boulogne Bleu B2)
• C.F.P. - Casual Firm Paris (Boulogne Rouge R1)
• Commando Loubards (Boulogne Bleu B1)
• P.A.C. - Paris Assas Club (Boulogne Bleu B1)
• Section Cigogne (Boulogne Bleu B1)
• ATR
• Milice Paris
• Dirty squad paris
• Old firm
• BCBG
• Crazy gang
• Layache family
• Firebirds
• Block B
• Sus Scrofa
• Commando Pirate Paris
• Pitbull Kop
• Army Korps
• Parisii