Bosnia And Herzegovina
Czech Republic
Hungary
Indonesia
South Korea
United Arab Emirates

Liverpool supporters cleared of blame for UCL final chaos with minister singled out

talksport.com, 13 July 2022, 14:46
Liverpool fans weren't to blame for the Stade de France chaos at last season's Champions League final, a report has found.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin has been criticised for giving a 'partial and imprecise' analysis of the events which blamed English supporters, and even Jurgen Klopp, for the overcrowding at the Paris showpiece.

The final against Real Madrid on May 28 was delayed by an hour, with fans queuing outside tear gassed by order of police chief Didier Lallement and put at risk of crushing.

A report into the final was published by the French Senate on Wednesday, claiming there was 'a lack of preparation' and an 'impossibility of entry to the stadium' were at fault for the chaos that unfolded.

A series of recommendations have also been published with the Senate saying the events must be a 'warning shot' before the Rugby World Cup and 2024 Olympics.

Darmanin directed blame at Liverpool fans in the hours following the match, to which the Senate said was 'not up to par'.

Senator and chairman of the commission, Laurent Lafon, said: "It is very clear that the two arguments that he put forward from Saturday evening and Sunday saying that it was the massive influx of spectators and false tickets: these two arguments exist but are not the cause of the malfunctions.

"The analysis made by the Minister of the Interior on the evening of the match and the day after the match was not the right one.

"It was a partial and imprecise analysis which did not immediately allow us to gain perspective.

"From this point of view, the words of the Minister of the Interior were not up to par for the incidents observed and the emotion aroused by these incidents.

"What happened was a lack of preparation and inaccuracies in the preparation and in the execution."

Lafon also blamed UEFA, as well as the organisers and police, for the trouble that unfolded.

"The management of ticketing by UEFA was inadequate," he said. "It was known that the use of paper tickets led to counterfeit tickets.

"UEFA did not do what was necessary to fight against this while the counterfeits were ten times more numerous. The false tickets disrupted the course of the events but it is not the main cause.

"With this management, there are problems at the screening points, faulty training of stewards and in the management of disputes. We want to make the use of tamper-proof tickets mandatory for high-stakes events."

Lafon also said they would be recommending improvements, including notifying ticket holders of real time incidents and better training for stewards and the police.

He also said the treatment of fans was not taken into account by the organisers, and that in future there must be a permanent dialogue to have more effective systems in place.

Fellow Senator Francois-Noel Buffet continued to defend supporters, saying: "The reason given for the delay of the match is the delay of the Liverpool supporters, but it is the impossibility of entry into the stadium which posed a problem.

"In particular at the ticket pre-filtering points. The entire route from the RER [train] was marked by attacks by criminals and this tarnished the image of France.

"English supporters were criticised but throughout the process, it was only with the announcement of the hearing of the supporters that the ministers concerned expressed regret.

"During the hearings, the police chief also expressed regret and only then the Minister apologised. The protection of supporters and property was not done well enough."

Buffet also argued that the police and stewarding was not enough compared to previous big matches such as France vs Denmark in the Nations League in March, saying: "It only took 10,000 supporters to blow it up. The failure is therefore due to the decisions taken by the Prefecture of Police.

"The excess number of supporters established was unusual but not disproportionate. Pre-filtering led to a crush hazard.

"There was also a lack of responsiveness from the authorities. No reaction from transporters, organisers or the Prefecture of Police despite reports on transport.

"There were two risks for the supporters, a risk of crushing for the supporters. The second risk is that of gassing near the stadium.

"The police chief therefore lifted the pre-screening and then assumed the gassing in order to avoid the gates falling and the stadium being invaded. The decisions taken are the cause of a lack of anticipation."

The Senators also talked about the deletion of CCTV footage as it hadn't been claimed within a week, saying that it remains on a 'case-by-case basis' but the lack of footage 'does not call into question the analysis of the incidents'.

Show more

Top News

13 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bradford City can maintain their third place standing in League Two with a victory on Saturday at Rodney Parade versus Newport County. 13 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Como president Mirwan Suwarso has confirmed the Italian club attempted to sign Marcus Rashford from Manchester United in the winter transfer window. 13 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly entered the race to sign Real Madrid-linked defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson will reportedly miss around six weeks of action due to a hamstring injury. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Reece James is set to return to the lineup for Chelsea's Premier League away meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday. 12 February 2025 talksport.com Virgil van Dijk couldn't resist making a dig at Everton players and fans after Liverpool were denied Merseyside's bragging rights at the death. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic's return to the Champions League knockout rounds ended in a 2-1 first-leg defeat against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic's return to the Champions League knockout rounds ended in a 2-1 first-leg defeat against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich. 12 February 2025 talksport.com The final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ended crazily with Arne Slot, Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure all getting sent off after the final whistle. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool wing wizard Mohamed Salah both broke a Premier League record and extended one of his existing ones in the Reds' pulsating 2-2 Merseyside derby draw with Everton at Goodison Park. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton and Liverpool played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Wednesday night, with James Tarkowski scoring a dramatic last-gasp equaliser. 12 February 2025 talksport.com Harry Kane has scored his first goal against a Scottish side, firing in for Bayern Munich in their Champions League knockout play-off first leg at Celtic. 12 February 2025 talksport.com Chelsea have been dealt another major injury blow with first choice striker Nicolas Jackson ruled out until April, talkSPORT understands. 12 February 2025 talksport.com West Ham's Jarrod Bowen has planted himself in the history books, and this time, it's in the Queen Vic rather than the London Stadium. 12 February 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah made Premier League history with his role in Liverpool's equaliser at Everton. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Reece James and Nicolas Jackson could start Chelsea's Premier League away meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion captain Lewis Dunk is a major doubt for Friday's Premier League clash with Chelsea at the Amex Stadium. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Boavista have announced that they have strengthened their squad with the addition of nine players. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Six days after they locked horns in the FA Cup, Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea will recommence battle when they meet in Friday's Premier League clash at the Amex Stadium. 12 February 2025 talksport.com Everton and Liverpool will both be out for more than just bragging rights in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park tonight. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United reportedly had scouts at Sporting Lisbon's league contest with Porto last week to watch Geovany Quenda following claims that the Red Devils have a deal in place to sign the youngster this summer. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk RB Leipzig are reportedly open to letting Benjamin Sesko leave during this summer's transfer window, with Arsenal and Manchester United said to be among the clubs interested in his services. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola reportedly views Bayer Leverkusen attacker Florian Wirtz as his 'dream replacement' for Kevin De Bruyne, but it will take an astronomical fee to secure his services. 12 February 2025 talksport.com Kai Havertz being ruled out for the rest of the season has created huge problems for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Hilal head coach Jorge Jesus has confirmed that he wants Mohamed Salah at the club next season. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly 'serious contenders' to sign Bayern Munich forward Leroy Sane this summer. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly identified Hertha Berlin youngster Ibrahim Maza as a potential summer transfer target. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United could reportedly battle the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool for the signature of RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba during this summer's transfer window. 12 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh off yet another controversy, Turkish Super Lig's bottom side Adana Demirspor will host Antalyaspor at the New Adana Stadium on Friday to kick off round 24. 12 February 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo's dream of scoring 1000 career goals has been given a big boost.
Something went wrong! Don't hesitate to let us know if you need any help.