France opens criminal investigation into Champions League Paris stadium chaos
France has opened a criminal investigation into the security chaos before the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid on Saturday.
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Hundreds of fans were unable to reach the Stade de France in Paris for the match and some were teargassed. European football's governing body UEFA has announced it will carry out an independent report.
A crisis meeting was held on Monday at the French sports ministry involving UEFA, French football chiefs and the French police to discuss the chaotic scenes that marred the Champions League final on Saturday.
Hundreds of Liverpool fans found themselves massed outside the stadium, unable to access the stands in time for the match which saw Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0.
France’s Interior minister Gérald Darmanin blamed "massive" ticket fraud for the incident, adding that there had been 30,000 to 40,000 Liverpool fans with fake tickets or without tickets outside the Stade de France.
A criminal inquiry has been opened into mass fraud at the request of police chief Didier Lallement.
In a separate legal case, six men remain in custody in France for attacks on fans and the theft of jewellery and mobile telephones during the confusion on the outskirts of the stadium. The other 42 people who were arrested at the weekend have been released.
UEFA said late Monday that it had appointed Portuguese politician Tiago Brandao Rodrigues to oversee an independent report on a pro bono basis on the completion of which they will decide upon a course of action.
"Evidence will be gathered from all relevant parties," UEFA said, adding the report would "examine decision making, responsibility and behaviours of all entities involved in the final".
"The findings of the independent report will be made public," it promised.
Fans 'deserve to know'
The French government has faced a barrage of criticism from press and politicians in Britain over the policing of the match.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman told reporters in London many Liverpool fans were in the French capital "in good time".
"We're hugely disappointed by how they were treated," the spokesman added. "Fans deserve to know what happened."
We are asking supporters who attended the Champions League final in Paris to complete a feedback form in order to support any investigation into the operational management of the event.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 30, 2022
Darmanin defiantly insisted that ticket scams and the behaviour of Liverpool fans was to blame.
"What has been confirmed is a massive, industrial-scale and organised fraud in fake tickets... this was the root cause of the delay to the match," Darmanin said, also charging that Liverpool fans had been less well-organised than their Spanish counterparts.
He also argued the fraud had been encouraged by Liverpool's request for paper tickets for their supporters, instead of electronic ones.
Deaths prevented
"I remind you that the Liverpool coach several days ago -- and it's public -- called on supporters to come to France even without a ticket," Darmanin said.
Darmanin defended the police, saying officers had "prevented deaths" that might have been caused by crushes outside the stadium to the north of Paris.
He acknowledged that some officers had been seen making "inappropriate" use of teargas, after images posted on social media showed even children being targeted at close range.
But he said it was "rather low and disproportionate" to criticise the police, adding: "The decisions that were taken prevented deaths."
Sports Minister Amélie Oudea-Castera said French authorities were "extremely sorry" for the approximately 2,700 fans with tickets that were unable to enter the Stade de France because of the crowd problems.
She said French authorities had agreed with European football's governing body UEFA that they should be identified and receive compensation.
Painful memories
Labour MP for Liverpool area Ian Byrne, who was present at the match, told Sky News that the fans had been treated "like animals".
"It was horrific -- there's no other words to describe it. It was absolutely horrific and as someone who was at Hillsborough in 1989, it brought so many terrible memories flooding back," he said.
The mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, who was also at the scene, told the BBC that it was "absolutely shambolic but also the police behaviour was also really brutal."
The chaos inevitably brought back painful memories for Liverpool, a club haunted by the 1989 Hillsborough disaster which cost the lives of 97 people in a stadium crush.
Liverpool Football Club have requested a formal investigation.
(with wires)
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