Liverpool have apologized to the French interior minister for accusing the sale of fake tickets on an “industrial scale” for the chaos of Saturday’s Champions League final and is reconsidering the legal opportunities open to fans affected by the miserable organization of the authorities.
Billy Hogan, Liverpool’s chief executive, described Gerald Darmanin’s claim that 30,000 to 40,000 Liverpool fans showed up at the Stade de France either without tickets or with fakes such as irresponsible, provocative and an attempt to shift the blame. Liverpool’s president, Tom Werner, has written to Darmanin apologizing. Werner’s letter said: “Your comments were irresponsible, unprofessional and completely disrespectful to the thousands of fans who were physically and emotionally hurt.
Liverpool have asked fans to share their experiences through the club’s website as they gather information on any investigations into the chaotic scenes. Hogan, who played a key role in prompting UEFA to postpone Saturday’s meeting, confirmed that Liverpool were exploring legal avenues available to fans, many of whom were fired with tear gas by French police and contributed to UEFA’s match. French authorities on Monday.
Hogan said: “We have continued our written request for an independent investigation with UEFA. We also noted our deep concern about the spread of false information, while calling on UEFA to agree to an open and transparent investigation into everything that happened on Saturday night, and we will continue to insist on this. ”
On Monday night, UEFA announced that it had commissioned an independent report on events, which it said would “examine the decision-making, responsibility and behavior of all players in the final”.
Hogan continued: “I also read in the media this afternoon that there was a meeting this morning with the French authorities and UEFA and a number of other stakeholders; however, we were not asked to contribute or provide information before the meeting. We are also reviewing the legal options available to us on behalf of the supporters concerned. “
French Interior Minister and Sports Minister Amelie Udea-Castera held a press conference after Monday’s meeting, which accused Liverpool fans and the club itself of dangerous scenes. Udea-Castera accused Liverpool of releasing fans “in the wild”.
Hogan replied: “We are incredibly surprised that someone in this position will comment in the first place at a time when we have not had enough time to understand what happened. No independent investigation has been conducted to establish all the facts. This is the beginning of the process. By making such useless comments, we simply believe that everyone should focus on proper investigation and less on making provocative comments that try to divert responsibility for what happened on Saturday night.
“What I would say is that our fans got the information from UEFA to travel safely to the stadium, which they did; they approached the stadium as instructed and in time. However, on arrival at the stadium, they experienced problems. We were completely distrustful of the comments when we were informed about them earlier today. I think it is important for people to know that our President Tom Werner has sent a letter to the French Minister to express our views and apologize to our fans for these comments.
Liverpool’s chief executive described the scenes outside the Stade de France as “absolutely disgraceful” and challenged the interior minister’s figures. Hogan added: “40,000 people is the number I heard were at the stadium without tickets – how can this be quantified at this stage before we have an independent and transparent investigation?
“There were also quotes about people with fake tickets; but, again, how do we know all the facts until we conduct an investigation? One fact we know is that the Champions League final must be one of the best spectacles in football and lead to one of the worst experiences in the lives of many fans. So I would say that all the politicians and agencies involved in this event must wait until a full and independent investigation is completed before trying to shift the blame.
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