The May 28 final against Real Madrid was delayed for more than 30 minutes after French police violently prevented people trying to enter the Stade de France. Liverpool fans, including children, were tear gassed – some sprayed directly in the face. Many Liverpool fans complained they were pushed, assaulted, nearly crushed and pickpocketed in chaotic scenes around the stadium, which were criticized by opposition politicians as a scandal that seriously damaged France’s image abroad. The French senate, after weeks of testimony and questioning of senior ministers and the Paris police chief, concluded in a preliminary report on Wednesday that the chaos was caused by a “chain of events and malfunctions” by various authorities and the French state along the way . until the final and the evening. There were clear “failures” in preparation and a lack of coordination between different authorities and organizers, the Senate found. The report made it clear that it was unacceptable for the state to initially suggest that the chaos was the fault of Liverpool supporters. The Senate said Liverpool fans had initially been “unfairly” accused by French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin in order to “distract attention from the inability of the state to adequately manage the crowds present” as well as the “weakness of state to limit”. the actions of “several hundred violent and coordinated” offenders who robbed and pickpocketed fans outside the stadium. Crucially, the report highlighted intelligence weaknesses that showed how French police had misjudged Liverpool fans and had a completely outdated view of them. The report found that the organization of security for the match “was based on an old vision of British supporters, reminiscent of the hooligans of the 1980s”. He added that public authorities therefore approached the match almost exclusively in terms of “crowd control” of England fans. The Senate found “major deficiencies in intelligence” – noting that on the night of the final there was an “absence of hooligans” and instead, at local French level, “the presence of offenders in large numbers”. According to the report, between 300 and 400 petty criminals pickpocketed and robbed fans before and after the match. Senators said this should have been prevented by local French intelligence because criminals had been seen gathering in the area days before. How the chaos unfolded around the Champions League final in Paris – video At a press conference, senators in charge of the investigation said the French interior minister’s overnight tweets – in which he claimed the reasons for the chaos were the huge number of Liverpool supporters and the very large number of fake tickets – “do not correspond in truth’ and was a ‘partial and inaccurate analysis’. Centrist senator Laurent Lafon later told French radio station France Inter that the number of Liverpool supporters was “not the cause” of the malfunction, which was due to poorly coordinated management decisions and poor planning. Laughon also told a Senate press conference that he would tell Liverpool fans today: “Obviously we express our regret and our apologies for what happened.” Laughon said Liverpool fans were “real victims of what happened”. He said there was a diplomatic imperative now for the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the French prime minister, Elizabeth Bourne, to acknowledge this and “send a message to viewers and the authorities” in the UK. The Senate report found: “The political will to portray the presence of British supporters as the sole cause of the chaos at the Stade de France – which may have been intended to cover up poor organizational choices – is in no way acceptable.” Quick guide
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Thanks for your response. The Senate found that there was no provision for fan transport flows at night and the decision to carry out ticket validity checks at pre-screening security points near the stadium had led to checkpoints being blocked and overcrowded. This was partly because the police were using blockade tactics designed for counter-terrorism operations. Officials had revealed during a Senate hearing that two French police officers were being investigated for the disproportionate use of tear gas against Liverpool fans. The report found that police had used tear gas to try to push back the crowd. He said: “This method, which affects people present in addition to those targeted, appeared particularly offensive to supporters who came from countries where it does not apply.” The report said the tear gas “contributed to supporters feeling that excessive force or even police force had been used against them”. The report made several recommendations for the organization of future sporting events, including better ticketing procedures, improved referee training and coordination between referees and the police.
