The Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris on May 28 was delayed by 37 minutes due to a major ticket confusion before kick-off.
Half a year after the incident, the aftermath of the chaos is still being felt at Anfield, Liverpool’s home ground.
“sad”
– I feel that people are unconscious in competitions. Ian Byrne, a Liverpool supporter and Member of Parliament of Great Britain, said it felt like all emotions had been destroyed.
– A lot of people I know – and other people – are struggling to get to tournaments now. This is the result of crowd management. Joe Platt, chairman of Liverpool supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly, said: “It’s sad in its own way that they don’t want to go to games because they went to a game.”
“Many still suffer”
Subsequently, French police were criticized for barricading the arena’s entrances and using tear gas and pepper spray. An independent report commissioned by the French Senate found the unprovoked use of tear gas criminal.
– Many people still suffer from what they went through, says Byrne.
Additionally, the scenes outside the Stade de France reminded some supporters outside Hillsborough, where 97 Liverpool supporters died in 1989.
– The reason the disaster didn’t get worse was the behavior and experience of the Liverpool fans. For generations, Liverpool fans have known Hillsborough. Why not with the authorities? “I think football supporters have saved lives,” says Blatt
More than 2,000 Liverpool fans are in the process of bringing a class action against UEFA. Among other things due to breach of contract in the sale of tickets and neglect of duty of care.
After the match, UEFA launched an investigation into the events at the Stade de France. The results are expected to be out in a few days.
The final between Real Madrid and Liverpool on May 28 was postponed for almost 40 minutes due to unrest outside the Stade de France outside Paris, meaning many supporters did not arrive on time – or at all.
Fences were torn down in several parts of the stadium as supporters were forced to make their way through security checkpoints. According to witnesses, “barriers” were created towards the controls.
When everything deteriorated, the police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
According to French Interior Minister Gérald Dormanin and European football association UEFA, the confusion was caused by people holding the wrong tickets.
Darmanin said there were between 30,000 and 40,000 Liverpool supporters at the Stade de France without valid tickets, adding that many of them tried to enter with fake tickets.
Sources from the European Football Association (UEFA) and the French Football Federation told AFP, however, that 2,800 people tried to enter with fake tickets.
Gerald Dorman initially supported the use of tear gas, saying it “saved lives”. But during a hearing before a Senate committee, he apologized.
Liverpool and Real Madrid have demanded answers to what really happened, and an inquiry by the French Senate concluded that the organizer was responsible. UFA has also launched an investigation.
Uefa and the French authorities have drawn criticism from many quarters for their actions over the mess. Paris police chief Didier Lallement said the manipulation had failed, and UEFA issued an apology on its website on June 3.
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