PARIS, May 29 (Reuters) – Chaotic scenes at the French national stadium before and during the Champions League final on Saturday night have been described as a national embarrassment, while French ministers have blamed fans of the French national stadium. Liverpool of problems.
The final between Liverpool and Real Madrid began with a delay of 35 minutes after police tried to contain people trying to enter the Stade de France without tickets, while some ticket holders complained that they were not let in. read more
Television footage showed images of young men, who did not appear to be wearing Liverpool red shirts, jumping off stadium doors and fleeing. Other people outside, including children, received tear gas from riot police, a Reuters witness said.
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Some riot police stormed the stadium while others charged at trying to tear down the stadium doors.
The governing body of European football, UEFA, blamed the false entries for causing the problem and said it would review the events together with the French authorities and the French Football Federation, in a statement it received with welcome British Ambassador to Paris Menna Rawlings.
“We have to establish the facts,” tweeted Rawlings, adding his “commiserations” with Liverpool after a “brave performance” in their 1-0 defeat to Real.
France’s interior and sports ministers directly blamed “British” supporters.
“Thousands of British ‘supporters’, without a ticket or with a fake, have stepped in and sometimes used violence against stadium staff again,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told Twitter, thanking the French police.
“Attempts by intruders and fraud by thousands of English fans have complicated the work of stadium staff and police, but they will not tarnish that victory,” tweeted Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera.
REQUESTS UEFA TO INVESTIGATE
Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan said the treatment of his fans was “unacceptable” and that the club wanted a “transparent investigation” by UEFA.
“We intend to ensure that there is an independent investigation and we, as a club, will be absolutely part of that and will be cooperative,” Hogan said in a video message Sunday.
Football Football – Champions League Final – Liverpool vs. Real Madrid – Stade de France, Saint-Denis near Paris, France – May 28, 2022 A police officer and an administrator have a fan inside the stadium for turnstiles when the match is delayed REUTERS / Kai Pfaffenbach
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“We understand that there were many different experiences that took place throughout the evening and it is essential that we listen to the fans.
“We want to make sure we know the facts and provide them to the appropriate authorities … over the next few days, we will establish a mechanism for supporters to contact us directly.”
British Sports Minister Nadine Dorries also urged UEFA to launch an investigation.
“The images and stories of Liverpool fans and the media about his entry into the Stade de France last night are deeply worrying,” Dorries said in a statement issued by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) Sunday.
“I urge UEFA to launch a formal investigation into what went wrong and why, in coordination with stadium staff, the French police, the (French football federation), the Merseyside police and Liverpool Football Club” .
“It is in the interest of everyone involved to understand what happened and learn lessons from these events.”
Some 68 people had been arrested on Sunday at 1.20am local time, while there were 238 interventions by doctors for people who were seriously injured, Paris police said in a statement.
UEFA issued a statement on Saturday afternoon saying: “In preparation for the match, the turnstiles at the end of Liverpool were blocked by thousands of fans who had bought fake tickets that did not work on the turnstiles.”
The stadium scenes caused outrage in France, and politicians on all sides called it a national disgrace.
“This is a disgrace to France!” Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, a former far-right presidential candidate, said on Twitter.
Even some in the camp of French President Emmanuel Macron lamented the events, which took place two years before Paris hosted the Olympics.
“Fights at the Stade de France, fights in the bars, green spaces turned into rubbish … One observation: we are not ready for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” Nathalie Loiseau, Macron’s MEP, said on Twitter.
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Report by Michel Rose, Julien Pretot and Fernando Kallas, additional report by Manasi Pathak; Edited by Clare Fallon
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