Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Friendly Games
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Jurgen Klopp blamed for Champions League final chaos after Liverpool fans invite

mirror.co.uk, 30 May 2022, 15:04
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been criticised by the French home secretary for comments he made to the club's supporters ahead of their Champions League final in Paris

Jurgen Klopp has been blamed by the French home secretary for contributing to the chaos at the Champions League final because he invited ticketless Liverpool fans to come to Paris.

And Gerald Darmanin also defended the use of tear gas at the Stade de France during chaotic scenes at the Stade de France - and claimed it was done to avoid any deaths.

French authorities have claimed that British fans arrived too late and in a disorganised way and said there were between 30,000-40,000 fans at the Stade de France who either had false tickets or no tickets at all.

"It is only in football with certain English clubs that there are these problems," Darmanin said. Liverpool fans have claimed they were attacked indiscriminately with tear gas and pepper spray by the French police - and no action was taken to protect them leaving the stadium. The French government called a crisis meeting with UEFA, the mayor of Paris and the French FA today.

Speaking at a press conference at the French Ministry of Sport after the talks, Darmanin said: "The presence of so many British fans without tickets already happened, notably in 2019 in Madrid. And it created similar types of difficulties. There were the same issues at Wembley last year. The behaviour, the disorganisation and a huge market in fake tickets. And I remind you that the coach of Liverpool a few days ago called for fans to come to France even without tickets.

"And we found ourselves with tens and thousands of British fans of whom a part has fully respected and bought tickets or went to the dedicated fan zone. I remind you that there were tens of thousands of fans in the fan zone without problem. They have respected the rules. But there was a smaller but active part that clashed with our security system."

HAVE YOUR SAY. Who was to blame for the events at the Stade de France? Let us know in the comments section

France will stage the Rugby World Cup next year and the 2024 Olympics and the government promised to learn lessons from Saturday night. Darmanin expressed his "regret" about the use of tear gas and pepper spray but added: "We have staged a lot of big football and rugby matches without any problems at the Stade de France. This way of policing has allowed us to avoid any deaths at the Stade de France. I think the comparison with rugby games or Olympics is a bit disproportionate because it is only in football with certain English clubs that there are these problems,

"I remind you that France has organised numerous rugby and football games in the last few weeks and months without any difficulties And even with some French clubs that can cause difficulties, like the final of the French Cup, there were no such problems. Indeed there were women and children who were exposed to tear gas. Others were pushed against the police barriers or the stadium fence. So in order to create space so people were not crushed, tear gas was used. And I had the chance to express my regrets - and the police commissioner - to those people. But I also saw that the police reacted quickly to help them afterwards. I agree it is totally not normal that this happened."

Show more

Top News

27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Championship leaders Leeds United will resume their promotion bid with a home game against Swansea City on Saturday. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Watford will resume their Championship playoff bid when they lock horns with Plymouth Argyle in Saturday's clash at Vicarage Road. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has confirmed his starting XI for Thursday's La Liga clash with Osasuna, with a decision on Robert Lewandowski's involvement being made. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic are set to welcome top-six contenders Hearts at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Middlesbrough will resume their Championship playoff bid when they welcome Oxford United to the Riverside Stadium for Saturday's contest. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk This weekend's Major League Soccer schedule kicks off with a clash of the Eastern Conference heavyweights at Chase Stadium, where Inter Miami will play host to Philadelphia Union. 27 March 2025 talksport.com Jamie Carragher's reaction to Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool exit didn't sit well with talkSPORT's Darren Bent. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will reportedly face competition from Liverpool to sign in-demand Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso during the summer transfer window. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to snap a six-match winless sequence in the Eredivisie, PEC Zwolle host second-bottom RKC Waalwijk in Saturday's gameweek 27 contest at MAC³PARK Stadion. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly moved closer to reaching a major contract breakthrough in conversations with star forward Mohamed Salah. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh off the back of suffering their first defeat of the 2025 MLS campaign, DC United will be looking to bounce back when they play host to Columbus Crew at Audi Field on Saturday. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Antony has dropped a major hint regarding his future at Manchester United, with the attacker suggesting that he will not be returning to the 20-time English champions at the end of the campaign. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Europe-chasing NEC aim for back-to-back Eredivisie wins for the first time since January when they host Champions League hopefuls AZ Alkmaar in Saturday's gameweek 27 fixture at Goffertstadion. 27 March 2025 talksport.com Liverpool are confident of reaching an agreement to extend Mohamed Salah's stay at the club, talkSPORT understands. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior are among four Blancos players at the heart of a UEFA investigation ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Arsenal. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Udinese defender Oumar Solet during this summer's transfer window. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Facing a make-or-break situation in their faltering bid for the playoffs, Norwich City will host top-six occupants West Bromwich Albion at Carrow Road on Saturday afternoon in a Championship match. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to pick up a fourth win on the spin in the MLS for the first time since September 2022, Nashville SC go head to head with FC Cincinnati at Geodis Park on Sunday morning. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Saturday afternoon in the Eredivisie brings us a crucial match in the relegation scrap, with Willem II playing host to Almere City at Koning Willem II Stadion. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United defender Vladimir Coufal has opened up on transfer interest from fellow Premier League clubs Fulham and Everton. 27 March 2025 talksport.com Plymouth Argyle CEO Andrew Parkinson insists Wayne Rooney's doomed appointment was not 'for profile reasons'. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka is back training on the grass at London Colney as he enters the final stages of his recovery from a hamstring injury. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Looking to extend their unbeaten run to a sensational 26 matches in the second tier, Burnley will welcome playoff-chasing Bristol City to Turf Moor in the Championship on Saturday afternoon. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United and Aston Villa are reportedly among a number of clubs keeping tabs on the situation of Noni Madueke at Chelsea. 27 March 2025 talksport.com Premier League rivals Brighton and Nottingham Forest will meet in the FA Cup for the first time ever in their quarter-final clash this weekend. 27 March 2025 talksport.com Liverpool fans may have to see Trent Alexander-Arnold in Real Madrid colours even sooner than they think. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly laid out their transfer demands for midfielder Kobbie Mainoo ahead of his possible exit from Old Trafford this summer. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fallen giants Juventus start the post-Thiago Motta era on Saturday evening, when they welcome Genoa to Turin. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sunderland continue their push for promotion to the Premier League this weekend, as they host Millwall in the Championship on Saturday afternoon. 27 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to boost their hopes of qualifying for Europe, Wolfsburg welcome relegation-threatened Heidenheim to Volkswagen Arena for a Bundesliga clash on Saturday afternoon.