Around 14,000 police officers to monitor FIFA WC final

Officials said on Friday that approximately 14,000 police officers will be on duty across France on Sunday to provide security as Les Bleus face Argentina in the World Cup final.

The security operation will see a concentration of soldiers in Paris, where sizable crowds are anticipated in the case of victory, according to information made publically available to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Friday.

When France won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018, the Champs-Elysees avenue saw large-scale celebrations, with 600,000 people dancing and cheering there.

On Sunday, the avenue will be off-limits to vehicles, and 2,750 officers will be posted nearby.

However, any celebration could be dampened by Sunday's predicted rain and sub-zero temperatures, as well as by Argentina's inspiring playmaker Lionel Messi and their triumph.

After about 40 far-right sympathizers were detained on Wednesday night as they tried to join a mob of revelers following France's victory over Morocco in the semifinals, police will be on the lookout for troublemakers.

According to Darmanin, "They had come to create a brawl."

After the Morocco game in Paris, 115 individuals were detained in total. Last Saturday, after France's quarterfinal victory, clashes broke out, and police had to use tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The death of a 14-year-old kid in the southern city of Montpellier after being struck by a car carrying fans also tainted the events following Wednesday's game.

Police continue to look for the driver of a white hatchback that was involved in the collision.

After an Africa Cup of Nations game, a driver lost control of his car and struck a mother and her infant, resulting in a deadly accident in the same impoverished neighborhood of Paillade.

Additionally, 12,800 police officers will be on duty in France on Saturday for the game between Croatia and Morocco for third place.