PSG supporters sentenced for Malmo clash

Nineteen Paris Saint-Germain supporters have been sentenced for an incident after last September's Champions League tilt with Swedes Malmo in the French capital.

The punishments stem from a fight in the Paris Metro after the 2-0 PSG victory, with Le Parisien reporting that police promptly arrested six supporters of the four-time defending Ligue 1 champ.

French outlet L'Equipe added that the 19 PSG supporters are members of the club's Ultras faction, Paris Ultras' Collective (CUP), and that five members of the group have since been jailed for the violent incident that marred the midweek match.

Of the 19 Ultras sentenced, one has been slapped with a 24-month sentence and another a 18-month bid, with three others receiving 18-month suspended sentences for their involvement in the violent display. Five PSG supporters have also received a five-year stadium ban at the Parc des Princes.

Fourteen supporters received €3,000 fines and three-year stadium bans.

The punishments come just days after PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi urged ousted Ultras to again show their support of the club after a number of supporters had match tickets cancelled for Friday's fixture with Caen.

"I hope that you can return because it is true that without you, it is difficult at the Parc (des Princes). We need you, we will be with you," Matuidi said in French in a video posted on YouTube:

"We are waiting for you," he added, saying: "In any case, we loved the last match," referring to their match at home to Arsenal in the Champions League, when many felt the atmosphere was better because of the presence of 'ultra' groups.

Despite the violence exhibited against Malmo supporters, PSG boss Unai Emery expressed his support of the Ultras in August, saying, "I want to feel this and I want the players to get this energy from the supporters. It is the best thing for the team."

A CUP statement has confirmed that PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi had initially agreed to meet with members of the faction. "We welcomed president Nasser Al-Khelaifi's willingness with relief," the CUP statement reads, according to ESPN FC. "Yet nothing changed and no formal discussions materialised."

PSG has long had issues with Ultras that predates Khelaifi's Qatar Sports Investment purchase of the club, and now it appears as if the divide between the two sides is narrowing with the involvement of the Association de Defense et d'Assistance Juridique des Interets des Supporters (ADAJIS).

"However, we will not need to pursue this difficult path because the PSG leaders have finally committed to meeting with CUP, as well as ADAJIS," CUP's statement added.

ADAJIS had previously fined the club for "unlawful ticket cancellations" after 15 supporters were refused entry for a match in 2014, with the district court for the 16th arrondissement levying nearly €30,000 in fees.