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

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.

AFP

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.

RMC Sport

“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.

AFP

“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.

Getty

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.

getty

“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.

Getty

“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’.