French authorities have blamed “industrial fraud” for chaos scenes in the Champions League final in Paris, while UEFA has responded to growing calls for an investigation – including from Downing Street – by announcing an independent report on the match.
Real Madrid’s victory over Liverpool was overshadowed by the shocking scenes in front of the Stade de France in Paris, where a large number of fans outside the stadium before the match were attacked with tear gas and pepper spray.
Ministers in Paris met to discuss the events before continuing to hold Liverpool fans accountable and allegations of some 30,000 to 40,000 supporters trying to enter the stadium with fake or no tickets.
“There were mass frauds at the industrial level and the organization of fake tickets, 70 percent of the tickets were fake tickets entering the Stade de France,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told a news conference.
“More than 2,600 were confirmed by UEFA as invalid tickets, although they went through the first filtering. The mass presence of fake tickets was the problem, which meant that there were delays, three times the match was postponed. We had a long meeting where we had exactly the same interpretation of what happened.
“I would like to express our regret for the organization of the final, because some people could not see the whole match. I’m sorry for the mistakes that happened before. “
The match finally started 37 minutes late with a huge number of fans with legitimate tickets not yet inside. UEFA has now confirmed that an independent and comprehensive review will take place.
Tear gas and pepper spray were used against Liverpool fans – including young children – as Darmanin defended the tactic on Monday.
“I would like to thank the law enforcement agencies, as well as those who worked at the stadium, because they were very calm and managed to avoid the drama, so thank you for organizing the pre-filtering, but you picked it up when there was too much pressure to avoid drama, “he added. “It was a decision taken by the prefecture to avoid any deaths or serious injuries.
Police used pepper spray on fans outside the Stade de France.
(PA)
French Sports Minister Amelie Udea-Castera reiterated UEFA’s initial statement last night that fans who arrived late on the pitch were to blame for the delays, despite many fan stories that arrived there hours before the start.
“We have seen that we need to improve some aspects of risk management in terms of risk management, first filtering, second filtering, and we need to make sure that we look at e-tickets as closely as possible so that we can avoid fraud as much as possible.” are concerned, “she said.” This is something that is absolutely necessary. ”
There are no excuses for the behavior of the authorities on the ground.
“We are extremely sorry for all the people whose experience was wasted all that night,” she added. “For the people who had bought tickets and could not attend the match. That is why we have asked UEFA to really work on a compensation system for these people – 2,700, including the British – so that they can receive compensation.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for an investigation involving both UEFA and French authorities.
A spokesman for number 10 said: “We know that many Liverpool fans traveled to Paris in time to support their team in one of the biggest matches of the season. We are very disappointed with the way they were treated. Fans deserve to know what happened. We therefore call on UEFA to work closely with the French authorities on a full investigation and to publish these findings.
“Obviously we have seen reports from Saturday of fans who have received permitted tickets from the club who cannot enter the stadium, which is why we need a full investigation into what happened and the findings made public.
“We have seen statements from UEFA which also claim that the delay in the start was caused by the late arrival of fans. This does not coincide with the experience of many of those who stand outside the stadium. So we need a full investigation to get to the bottom of what happened. “
Culture Minister Chris Philippe said “there is no obvious excuse” for French police to use pepper spray or tear gas.
Liverpool fans, who remained off the field on Saturday, show their tickets for the match
(PA)
Ian Byrne, a Liverpool West Derby MP, attended the match in Paris and said he had not witnessed such scenes since the 1989 Hillsborough crash.
He wrote to Foreign Minister Liz Truss with a list of seven requests, including a formal investigation and an apology to UEFA and the French authorities.
In his letter, he said: “The French authorities and UEFA are simply covering their own backs with this story. As a Liverpool fan, I was in Paris for the match and I can honestly say that the off-field situation was one of the most horrible experiences of my life – and as a Hillsborough survivor, I don’t make that comment lightly.
Liverpool “formally requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable problems”, while CEO Billy Hogan told LFCTV that the treatment of fans was “absolutely unacceptable” and that “people’s safety is at risk”.
The Merseyside police, which had representatives at night, described the behavior of the vast majority of supporters as “exemplary”.
UEFA initially blamed the late arrival of fans for the delay, before later issuing a statement accusing the problems of fake tickets. An overview of the events will be provided by Dr. Thiago Brandao Rodriguez, Member of the Portuguese Parliament and former member of the World Anti-Doping Foundation.
A statement said: “UEFA announced today that it has commissioned an independent report on the events surrounding the Champions League final in Paris on Saturday, 28 May.
“The comprehensive review will examine the decision-making, responsibility and behavior of all actors involved in the final.”
It adds: “Evidence will be gathered from all stakeholders and the findings of the independent report will be made public once they are finalized and, after receiving the findings, UEFA will evaluate the next steps.
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