Dozens of 'hooligans' held before Stuttgart-PSG game

A total of 59 French 'hooligans" have been arrested due to fears of violence before Stuttgart face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday, police in the German city said on Wednesday.  

Police said they had made the arrests after checks in hotels and at train stations, while confirming that 47 "high-risk Stuttgart supporters" were also banned from the game. 

A number of the Stuttgart fans, who were in possession of protective clothing, had attempted to stalk the PSG fans and were banned from the city centre and areas near the stadium, the police said. 

"Before the match, it became apparent that French and German hooligans from both clubs wanted to take advantage of the last match of the Champions League group stage to provoke serious clashes outside the stadium," Stuttgart police said in a statement.

Targeted checks had been carried out on Tuesday "to prevent the supporters, who were looking for violence," the police said. 

"Anyone who travels to Stuttgart to commit violent crimes off the pitch will be taken out of the game," the Vice President of Police Carsten Hoefler said.

A judge approved a request to hold the 59 arrested persons in police custody until Thursday morning. 

French champions PSG travel to Stuttgart for both clubs' final match of the Champions League group stage level.

Both have 10 points and while a draw is likely to see both clubs through to the knockout round, a win would guarantee progress.