Finale Maroc-Sénégal: a French city bans smoke bombs and mortars this weekend

Prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe has signed a decree banning the purchase, sale, possession and transport of entertainment fireworks in categories F2 and F3. This restriction applies from Saturday, January 17 at 2 pm until Monday, January 19, 2026 at 8 am. According to Actu Perpignan, the prefectural decision follows spontaneous gatherings that have generated public order disturbances during the final stages of the competition.

The state services have recorded two particularly agitated evenings in the city center of Perpignan. On January 6, Algeria’s qualification for the round of 16 had caused disturbances on the public highway. More recently, on Wednesday, January 14, gatherings on the Place de la Victoire and the Place Catalogne after the semi-final between Morocco and Nigeria led to traffic disruptions on the Boulevard Clemenceau, as well as mortar and smoke bomb fire.

To justify this measure, the prefecture believes that the use of pyrotechnic articles promotes the formation of gangs and significant gatherings of onlookers, increasing the risk of incidents. The objective is to ensure public safety as Morocco disputes the final against Senegal this Sunday, January 18 in Rabat.

This ban applies to the entire public space of the department. The authorities specify that these preventive measures are necessary to avoid the festivities related to the sports results from degenerating into clashes or urban damage, as observed during the previous matches of the diaspora in France.