Liverpool FC fans have been acquitted of the chaos during the 2022 Champions League final by a report from the French Senate, which said supporters were “wrongly” accused by the French interior minister of “diverting attention from the inability of the state” to safely stage the match. event.
preliminary reporting of the findings of the event, which began more than half an hour late, put the responsibility instead on “major deficiencies”: “intelligence” regarding “several hundred violent and coordinated offenders”; transport routes for supporters; insufficient communication; and problems that go further back in basic planning.
Laurent Lefon, co-chair of the investigation, later blamed a “series of dysfunctions” at “every level” during a press conference.
The location of ticket validation checks, which was criticized by Liverpool supporters for being the first bottleneck leading to the problems, was similarly criticized.
The Senate had heard from supporters attending the final in Paris, French police, government officials and UEFA events director Martin Kallen.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin had initially blamed the delays and problems on ticketless Liverpool supporters, amid claims that up to 40,000 counterfeit tickets were in circulation for the final.
Amid the pandemic, police used tear gas and pepper spray on fans, even hitting children and elderly supporters. A series of disturbing images and reports bear this out.
This defense has since been demolished by the French Senate. A preliminary report published yesterday said: “It is unfair to have Liverpool supporters want to take responsibility for the disturbances that have occurred, as the Home Secretary did to divert attention from the state’s inability to adequately manage the crowds present. and to curb the action of several hundred violent and coordinated offenders.”
It went on: “The systems put in place showed major deficiencies with regard to intelligence (absence of hooligans but presence of large numbers of delinquents), the transportation routes for supporters and insufficient communication.
“Problems arose not only in the implementation. Upstream, the crisis scenarios were insufficiently developed and did not show the necessary flexibility in the face of so many unexpected events.”
UEFA’s management of the ticket system was also described as “unsuitable”, with a lack of training for the stewards, ultimately leaving them overwhelmed.
The Senate said French authorities should learn from the “serious collective failure” ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. (© Independent News Service)