Paris Saint-Germain have dominated French football for well over a decade at this point, winning an array of French titles and cups along the way.
However, the story of their iconic ‘ultras' has a far more troublesome and turbulent narrative than the club's on-the-field success.
PSG Ultras can be traced all the way back to 1978
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Key groups
Boulogne Boys
Widely acknowledged as one of the oldest Ultra groups in France, the Boulogne Boys were best known for their chants, flares and unwavering support of the side – all key ingredients for an effective group.
Their formation coincided with the club offering cheaper tickets to fans in 1976, which resulted in a huge increase of match-going fans inside the Parc des Princes each week.
Prior to their existence, the stadium was known for boasting a lacklustre atmosphere, but the Boulogne Boys were able to transform the situation and become an effective ‘twelfth man' for their team.
Unfortunately, in the 1990s the group became increasingly more violent, with political views taking more of a precedent within its mantra – eventually resulting in a war against another PSG Ultra group, spanning multiple years.
Supras Auteuil
Very closely linked to the Boulogne Boys, albeit for the wrong reasons, the Supras Auteuil is another incredibly important Ultra group in PSG's history.
With the violence of the Boulogne Boys causing a sharp decrease in attendance in the Parc des Princes in the 1990s, the club decided that their solution was to move all fans who wanted a more peaceful experience into another section of the stadium, known as the Auteuil Stand. And just like that, the Supras Auteuil were born.
They were, in every sense of the word, the complete opposite to the Boulogne Boys. Whereas the Boulogne Boys were known for their right-wing political views, the Supras Auteuil were more liberal and represented the diversity which thrived in Paris.
They clashed with the Boulogne Boys in 2003 and were eventually disbanded in 2010.
Collectif Ultras Paris
Finally, there is the Collectif Ultras Paris, which is the only Ultras group of the three still active to this day – they are also the most recently formed, having first appeared in 2016.
Born out of another infamous incident between its two predecessors on this list, the Collectif Ultras Paris is the only Ultras association currently recognized by the club and was created as a way for fans in the Auteuil Ultras groups to reclaim their place in the ground.
At first, the group were allowed just 150 fans in the Parc des Princes, with their return publicly supported by club legend Thiago Silva. The Brazilian defender said: “To our supporters, my teammates and I are writing to you to express how happy we are to welcome some of you back for our upcoming matches. We need your support and support you in return.
“We can't wait to hear you on Saturday and, I hope, celebrate a win over Bordeaux. It is magnificent for us to be able to count on a passionate atmosphere at the Parc.”
Key incidents
As with many ultras, there have been many noteworthy incidents involving the PSG Ultras over the years, however, as already alluded to, there are perhaps two that are far more important than the rest.
Tigris Mystic banner (2003)
As explained, there had been tension building between two sets of Ultras in the Parc des Princes, the Kop of Boulogne and their subsidiaries and the Supras Auteuil, since the early 1990s.
The two sets of fans held extremely different beliefs and values, resulting in several altercations over the years. But, in 2003, the Tigris Mystic group, one of the many Ultras located in the Auteuil stand, brandished a banner reading “The Future Belongs to Us” – both celebrating their 10th anniversary and also sending a message to those in the Boulogne stand.
The conflict occurred immediately after the match and sparked a series of violent confrontations between the two for many years to come, drastically hurting the club's reputation in Europe.
Plan Leproux
Following the disbandment of the two aforementioned groups, peace initially returned to the Parc des Princes – but not for long. By 2009, tensions were again reaching boiling point and finally exploded in an away match against Bordeaux, when a Boulogne fan raised a Celtic Cross – resulting in Auteuil fans attacking the supporter.
The next huge clash between the two groups came a few months later in February 2010 – a tragic event which culminated in the lynching of a Kop of Boulogne member.
Then in May 2010, Plan Leproux – named after PSG President at the time Robin Leproux – was put into place. It resulted in a total of 13,000 fans banished from the Parc des Princes, decimating the Auteuil and Boulogne stands in the process.
A select few fan groups were allowed back into the ground in the following year, but true ultra supporters did not reappear again until 2016.
Famous Tifos by PSG Ultras
🇨🇵 Recibimiento de PSG hoy vs Milan pic.twitter.com/kQmY2U3BWD
— 🥊𝕳 BARRAS DEL MUNDO ⚽🍺 (@Barras_LATAM) October 26, 2023
There have been an array of impressive Tifos created by the PSG Ultras since their reintroduction into the Parc des Princes in 2016, but their artwork against AC Milan in 2023 is perhaps the most impressive.
Ahead of another massive Champions League clash for the club, PSG Ultras organised a Tifo that required the cooperation of two different stands – at opposite ends of the pitch.
The showpiece depicted Jean-Paul Belmondo, a founder of the club, pointing a gun at a Milan-themed devil – from one goal to the other.
It was an occasion that helped propel the PSG Ultras back into the conversation for the best fan group in European football.