LONDON, 01-6-2022 (AFP) – Liverpool received over 5,000 complaints from their fans within 24 hours regarding the chaos that took place before, during and after Saturday’s Champions League final at the Stade de France. on the outskirts of Paris, according to what was announced on Wednesday by the club’s CEO Billy Hogan.
French police fired tear gas at Liverpool fans who had gathered in long, slow-moving lines ahead of the final, delaying its kick-off by more than half an hour.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said up to 70 percent of the tickets were found fraudulently by staff at the first checkpoints outside the stadium.
But sources at the European Football Association (Wifa) and the French Football Federation told AFP on Tuesday that only 2,800 fake tickets were found at the stadium entrance, indicating the problem had more to do with managing the flow of fans outside the stadium.
To justify the delay in the match, which Real Madrid won 1-0, the European Union first blamed the delay on the arrival of supporters, some of whom were abused, and then issued a statement saying counterfeit tickets were the cause. the resulting chaos. But the official version of events has been repeatedly denied on social media by fans and independent journalists.
On Wednesday, Hogan urged the European Union to include evidence submitted by Liverpool fans on the club’s website in an independent review initiated by Wifa, adding: “The form has been on our website for just over 24 hours and more than 5,000 forms have been filled and completed. which is really amazing.”
He thanked “everyone who made the effort to share their experiences. I was appalled at how some men, women and children – some healthy, some less capable – were randomly treated during the Sabbath,” adding, “I think we’ve all seen the videos and pictures. I have read several stories. About very terrible experiences when leaving the stadium. There were crimes and thefts.”
“No one should experience what our fans went through before or after the match. In our opinion, this is completely unacceptable,” he stressed. Hogan said Liverpool were trying to help the fans most affected by pre- and post-match problems, explaining: “We know that many fans were injured on Saturday night and we have asked UEFA for a matchday footage. including any medical incidents during the evening so we can reach out to these fans and families to help if we can.”
He said he is in constant contact with the European Union about the nature of the investigations the latter is conducting in connection with the events of the match, explaining: “I had a conversation with UEFA (Tuesday evening) on this matter. at this stage there are many details, it is a continuous process. But we want to make sure that action is taken. Occasion”.
“This is just an example and it could just be a difference in vocabulary … but we demanded an independent investigation, not an independent report,” he added, referring to FIFA’s decision on Monday to open an “independent report.” to events. “Therefore, it is very important that we stay in touch with UEFA over the next few days,” he stressed.
