2 hours ago
The European Football Association (UEFA) has apologized to the Liverpool and Real Madrid fans who fell victim to the problems that occurred during the Champions League final and said that this should not happen again.
Liverpool fans described police brutality, organizational chaos and overcrowding during the final on May 28.
Real Madrid demanded answers to questions about the “unfortunate chain of events”.
A UEFA statement said: “No football fan should be put in this situation, and it must not happen again.”
The statement added: “UEFA would like to sincerely apologize to all spectators who experienced or witnessed frightening and disturbing events ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final at the Stade de France on 28 May 2022 in Paris, on a night that was meant to be a celebration of football. European”.
French President Emmanuel Macron said ticket holders who were denied entry to the stadium should be compensated by security personnel “as soon as possible”.
“I’m thinking of the families who were pushed back and who couldn’t get to the seats they paid for,” he added.
“I have asked the government to explain what happened and to define and explain the responsibilities in detail to our British and Spanish peers,” he continued.
UEFA had previously announced that Dr. Thiago Brandao Rodriguez from Portugal would lead an independent review of what happened before the final and the lessons to be learned from what happened.
French authorities and UEFA blamed late arrivals and fake tickets for the chaotic scenes outside the Stade de France, causing the match to be postponed for more than half an hour.
Police fired tear gas and pepper spray at some of the fans. It also turned out that the fans were also targeted by local gangs.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said it was only English fans who caused problems in the final.
The UEFA statement added that the review “will seek to paint a complete picture and timeline of what happened during the day both within the stadium and the surrounding areas, including examining the flow of spectators into the stadium through the various access points.”
Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish said the apology was a “beginning”, but added that there was “still a long way to go”.
And he considered that “this apology does not cover the false message about the delay in the start of the match, the events in the fan garden, or what happened in the aftermath.”
The image below shows the message that appeared at the Stade de France stadium, which read: “Due to the delay of the fans in reaching the stadium, the start of the match has been postponed. More information will appear within 15 minutes from now at the latest.”
picture released, PA Media
A message on the screen inside the Stade de France stated that “the late arrival of the fans” was the reason for the delay in the start of the match
Who neglected the fans?
Earlier on Friday, Real Madrid issued a statement demanding that questions be answered regarding the “unfortunate events” in the match that the Spanish team won 1-0.
The club also demanded to know the reason for choosing the Stade de France stadium for the match and who “is responsible for leaving the fans neglected and unable to claim their rights.”
“Football has conveyed to the world an image that is far from the values and goals that it should strive to convey,” the statement said.
Real Madrid cited the “unfortunate events” that took place “in the vicinity and access points to the Stade de France and even inside the stadium itself” and added that its fans “fell victim to the aforementioned events”.
The club added: “We would like to know the reasons why this venue was chosen to host the final and the criteria used, given what happened that day.”
“Furthermore, we call for answers and explanations to be provided to identify those responsible for leaving fans neglected and unable to claim their right. Fans who have generally demonstrated exemplary behavior at all times.”
“We believe that something that should have been a great football fest for all the fans who attended the match quickly turned into a chain of unfortunate events that caused outrage across the world,” the club’s statement added.
And the Spanish club continued: “As it turned out in the revealing photos, published by the media, many fans were assaulted, harassed, assaulted and robbed in a violent manner. These facts continued while they were moving in their cars or buses, causing concern for their physical health, and some fans even had to to spend the night in the hospital as a result of their injuries.
The club added: “Our fans and supporters deserve an explanation, and those responsible for this must be held accountable in order to eliminate such incidents in football and sports in general.”
comments “disgraceful“
On Thursday, Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan described the French interior minister’s comments blaming English fans as “disgraceful”.
“My response to the French minister’s comments again, as I said earlier in the week, is that I can’t believe he really said that,” Hogan added.
He said that 6,500 fans responded to a request from the Reds for fans who attended the final match to fill out an opinion form aimed at supporting any investigation conducted by the Champions League final administration.
Hogan said: “All the pain, the grief and the hurt that they have experienced [المشجعون] From Saturday, and now a French minister tells them that only Liverpool fans have had problems. It’s a shame.”
“We have written to UEFA again with specific questions – 13 specific questions – about which we would like clarification in the details of this investigation,” he added.
“We feel it is very important that we begin this investigation and, frankly, that the start is immediate.”