The fact that spectators actually failed in the Champions League final in Paris is now being discussed at the political level in France and Great Britain. The French interior minister has been defending the events. We prevented deaths, says Gerald Dormann.
Especially in the semi-finals of Liverpool, it was surprisingly empty when Real Madrid finally took home the start of the Champions League final on Saturday.
UEFA blamed fans for being late to the stadium when the match was delayed. But the truth is, there was complete hysteria outside the State de France.
Thousands of English fans were not allowed inside the stadium despite buying expensive match tickets. Clips on social media also showed people climbing over the fence and avoiding ticket control.
According to the French press, 174 people were injured in the chaos and 68 were arrested. Later in the UEFA press release, it was stated that the buzz was caused by Liverpool fans who did not have a valid ticket.
The French government reiterated the reason on Monday.
– French Interior Minister Gerald Dormann says a large, organized fraud has been confirmed by fake tickets produced on an industrial scale.
– I would like to reiterate that the decisions taken off-stage were taken to prevent deaths and serious injuries, the Minister said after an additional meeting on Monday.
Many were injured in Saint-Etienne
But the failed arrangements have become a hot political issue in France. Among other things, it begs the question of whether the country is really ready to fix the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Sports Minister Amelie Odia-Castrera acknowledged the need to increase security arrangements for high-risk football matches.
There was chaos only in Paris over the weekend. As Saint-Etienne prepared for Sunday’s exit, the pitch was attacked by angry supporters, and the Bengals flew right and left.
According to newspaper reports, about thirty people were injured when Saint-Etienne was downgraded.
Image: IMAGO / PanoramiC / All Over Press
Ligu 1, AS Saint-tienne
“Scary”
In the United Kingdom, too, the general defeat in Paris has been the subject of much political debate.
– The pictures taken this weekend from the State de France were deeply outrageous and confusing. A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We know many Liverpool fans went there to have fun, and we are very disappointed with how they were treated.
The French sports minister said 30,000 to 40,000 English fans were either with fake tickets or had no tickets at all. Liverpool have demanded that UEFA investigate the events.
Hill Andy Robertson was one of those who questioned the French interpretation. He gave a ticket to a friend – who was denied entry because his ticket was said to be fake.
The contest was attended by Labor MP Ian Byrne. He recalled the weekend with horror. For Sky News, he describes fans being “treated like animals”.
– It’s scary – There is no better way to describe events.
“It’s so horrible, for someone in Hillsborough in 1989, so many horrible memories come back,” Byrne says, referring to the Grandstand tragedy that claimed the lives of 96 spectators.
Sources: AFP, Reuters
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