Liverpool have apologized to French Home Secretary for blaming the sale of counterfeit tickets on an “industrial scale” for the chaos of the Champions League final on Saturday and are reviewing legal options open to fans affected by the unfortunate organization of the authorities.
Billy Hogan, Liverpool’s CEO, described Gerald Darmanin’s claim that between 30,000 and 40,000 Liverpool fans showed up at the Stade de France without tickets or with fakes of irresponsible, inflammatory and an attempt to shift the blame. Liverpool president Tom Werner has written to Darmanin apologizing. Werner’s letter states: “Your comments were irresponsible, unprofessional and utterly disrespectful to the thousands of physically and emotionally harmed fans.”
Liverpool have asked fans to share their experiences via the club’s website as they gather information for any investigation into the chaotic scenes. Hogan, who played a key role in getting Uefa to delay Saturday’s start, has confirmed that Liverpool are exploring legal avenues available to fans, many of whom were subjected to tear gas by French police, and not they had no say in a meeting between Uefa and France. authorities Monday.
Hogan said: “We have followed up our written request for an independent investigation with UEFA. We have also noted our deep concern about the false information that is being circulated, while urging UEFA to accept an open investigation. and transparent about everything that happened on Saturday night, and we will continue to push for that. ”
On Monday night, Uefa announced that it had commissioned an independent report on the events, which it said would “examine the decision-making, responsibility and behavior of all entities involved in the final”.
Hogan continued: “I also read in the media this afternoon that this morning there was a meeting with the French authorities and Uefa and a number of other stakeholders; however, we were not asked for input or information before the meeting. We are also reviewing the legal avenues available on behalf of affected followers. “
French Interior Minister and Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra held a press conference after Monday’s meeting, which blamed Liverpool fans and the club for dangerous scenes. Oudéa-Castéra accused Liverpool of letting fans “go out into the wild”.
Hogan responded: “We are incredibly surprised that someone in this position is commenting in the first place at this time, when we have not had enough time to understand what happened. There has been no independent investigation to establish all the facts. At the beginning of the process, making such unhelpful comments like this, we believe that everyone should focus on doing the right research, let alone making inflammatory comments that try to divert responsibility for what happened on Saturday night.
“What I would say is that our fans were provided with information from Uefa to travel to the stadium safely, which they did; they approached the stadium according to the instructions and with the necessary time. However, it was when they arrived at the stadium that they experienced problems. As for the comments, we were completely in disbelief when they found out early today. “I think it’s important for people to know that our president, Tom Werner, sent a letter to the French minister to articulate our views and apologize to our supporters for those comments.”
The Liverpool CEO described the scenes outside the Stade de France as “absolutely embarrassing” and challenged the Interior Minister’s figures. Hogan added: “It was the number of 40,000 people I heard who were in the stadium without tickets; how can this be quantified at this stage, before we have an independent and transparent investigation?
“There are also quotes about people with fake tickets; but again, how do we know all the facts until we have an investigation? One fact we know is that the Champions League final should be one of the best shows in football and it was one of the worst experiences in the lives of many fans. Therefore, I would say that all politicians and agencies involved in this event should wait until a full and independent investigation is concluded before attempting to shift the blame. “