DAccording to an independent investigation, the European football union UEFA is primarily responsible for the spectator chaos surrounding the Champions League final in May 2022 near Paris. “It is remarkable that nobody lost their lives,” says the 220-page report, which was published on Monday evening and also criticized the behavior of the authorities. UEFA, as the organizer of the final between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid (0-1), was primarily responsible for the organizational errors, “which almost led to a catastrophe”.
The game on May 28th started more than half an hour late because of chaotic scenes in front of the stadium in Saint-Denis. Despite tickets, many fans did not come into the huge arena. The police used tear gas, more than 230 people were injured. As a result, the Paris police prefect Didier Lallement resigned his post. Other investigations also proved the misconduct of the authorities and UEFA, which initially also blamed Liverpool fans.
UEFA commissioned the current investigation report, and the governing body also bears the costs. The results would now be analyzed, said UEFA on Monday evening. In addition, a refund for the fans is being worked on.
“On behalf of UEFA, I would like to once again sincerely apologize to all those who were affected,” UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis said in a statement. “In particular, I would like to apologize to Liverpool fans for the experience many of them have had attending the game and for the messages released before and during the game that they were wrongly blamed. “
