Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotherham presented in the French Senate on Thursday how the Champions League final turned into a “nightmare” as France continued its investigation into the chaos and criminality of the match, while the primary evidence in CCTV footage was revealed. Closed events site is no longer available.
The May 28 final, which Liverpool lost 1-0 to Real Madrid, was postponed for more than 30 minutes after people who tried to enter the grounds were forcibly stopped by police officers. Riot police fired tear gas at fans, including women and children.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmannan said that the presence of large numbers of Liverpool fans without valid tickets caused the fans to storm the grounds of the Stade de France stadium in Paris, but Liverpool officials and fans rejected this account.
Rotherham told French senators that the problems started when fans reached the stadium perimeter, only to find that the roads were blocked by police trucks.
This contributed to crowding, which got worse to the point where people climbed onto the pitch, which in turn attracted local criminals who sought to take advantage of the chaos by robbing the crowd, Rotherham said, adding that his property was stolen during the evening.
Rotherham told the Senate: “The day has gradually turned from a dream into a nightmare.
And Erwan Lobrivo, of the French Football Federation, revealed that the “violent” video clips of what happened before the match had been deleted and were no longer available.
Didier Lalmo, the Paris police chief, also told the Senate that he may have been wrong when he said that up to 40,000 Liverpool fans had tried to enter the final with fake tickets, and that there was no scientific evidence to support this claim.
Lalmo said police plans for the match were “failed” because fans were harmed and France’s image was shattered, and Rotherham criticized the police for seeking to confront and attack fans with their batons.
Rotherham said, “I think the cops were, in a way, looking to make a problem.”