Liverpool fans were UNFAIRLY blamed for the chaos during the Champions League final in Paris to ‘divert attention’ from the organiser’s failures, a French Senate report concludes
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin initially blamed the chaos for the showpiece at the door of ticketless Liverpool supporters
A preliminary report of the findings, published on Wednesday, said: ‘It is unfair to have wanted Liverpool team supporters to bear responsibility’
The report found that the chaos had been caused by a ‘chain of events and disruptions’ in the days and hours leading up to the kick-off.
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Liverpool fans have been unfairly blamed for the chaos surrounding last season’s Champions League final in Paris to divert attention from the organizers’ failures, a report by the French Senate has found.
Since the game on May 28, which started more than half an hour late, the Senate has heard from supporters of the Reds, French police and government officials and UEFA events director Martin Kallen.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin initially blamed the delays at the door of Liverpool supporters without tickets for crowd building on the outskirts of the Stade de France, with police also firing tear gas at fans as they waited to win entry.
Liverpool fans were accused of showing up with fake tickets, but the report confirmed that was not the reason for the alarming scenes
The chaotic scenes of the Champions League final were caused by ‘operational failures’, according to a report commissioned by the French government.
In the aftermath of the May 28 match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, the French government and police tried to blame ’30-40,000′ Reds fans who they say showed up with fake tickets.
According to the report, the French Football Federation (FFF) had identified 2,471 counterfeit tickets, of which 1,644 were in the south sector of the stadium, dedicated to Liverpool supporters.
The preliminary report of the French Senate’s findings, published on Wednesday, said: “It is unfair to have supporters of the Liverpool team want to take responsibility for the disturbances that have occurred, as the Home Secretary did.” to divert attention from the state’s inability to adequately control the crowds present and curb the actions of several hundred violent and coordinated offenders.”
Police chiefs in France defended their decision to use tear gas on innocent fans ahead of the clash at the Stade de France
Fans were trapped outside the Stade de France for two hours before being hit with the gas
The report found that the chaos had been caused by a ‘chain of events and disruptions’ in the days and hours leading up to kick-off.
The report added: ‘The systems put in place had major deficiencies in terms of intelligence (absence of hooligans but presence of delinquents in large numbers), supporter transportation routes (removal of a drop-off route in the stadium area) and insufficient communication.
‘Problems arose not only in the implementation. Upstream, the crisis scenarios were insufficiently developed and did not show the necessary flexibility in the face of so many unforeseen events.’
According to the Senate report, French authorities must learn from the ‘serious collective failure’ that has occurred and apply these lessons to the organization of next year’s Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.
Paris police chief Didier Lallement gave evidence about the security operation ahead of the UEFA Champions League final – saying there was no alternative to using tear gas
The report described UEFA’s management of the ticketing system as “unsuitable” and criticized the lack of training for flight attendants, who they say were quickly overwhelmed.
UEFA had not introduced a system in advance to detect the extent of the counterfeits, the Senate found.
It also said the decision to conduct an initial check on ticket validity at security points prior to screening had resulted in checkpoints being blocked.
The Senate recommended introducing tamper-evident ticketing for such major events and better coordination between stewards and police.
The Senate report is the latest installment in an embarrassing climb by French authorities.
And an earlier report, commissioned by France’s prime minister, also found operational failures – rather than Liverpool fans with fake tickets – was the root of the chaos that marred the Champions League final.
The 30-page document highlighted significant crowd management issues, a lack of information about entry points, and failure to read warning signs about the presence of local “evil individuals who came in large numbers to commit delinquency” as the main contributing factors leading to to ‘a climate of tension’.
That allegations against Liverpool supporters have been widely mocked for lack of evidence. They have also been convicted on Merseyside, where some 9,000 harrowing accounts have been handed over to the Anfield club by fans who were in the French capital.