UEFA announce the delay to the final inside the Stade de France on Saturday, 28 May 2022, as fans outside display their tickets at the entrance, waiting to be let inside. (Courtesy: AP)UEFA have issued a written apology to all the spectators who were caught up amid the distressing scenes outside the Stade de France in Paris for the Champions League Final last weekend.
“UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to all spectators who had to experience or witness frightening and distressing events in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France on 28 May 2022 in Paris”, the football governing body wrote in a statement released this Friday on their website.
“On a night which should have been a celebration of European club football. No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again.”
They further outlined the details regarding the independent review that is to take place with the aim to identify the shortcomings and responsibilities of all entities involved in the organisation of the final.
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The apology from European Football’s head governing body comes six days after the events in Paris caused unrest ahead of the match which was delayed by thirty minutes. UEFA had cited ‘the late arrival of fans to the ground’ as the reason for the delay then.
Former Liverpool captain and manager, Sir Kenny Dalglish took to Twitter to share his views on the statement.
“This is a start, but there is still a long way to go,” he wrote in his tweet.
This is a start, but there is still a long way to go. This apology does’t cover the false message about the late kick off, events at the fan park, or what happened in the aftermath.
If you haven’t already, please make sure to share your story on the LFC Forum & with Phil Scraton https://t.co/NtCC8x9xcH— Sir Kenny Dalglish (@kennethdalglish) June 3, 2022
“This apology doesn’t cover the false message about the late kick off, events at the fan park, or what happened in the aftermath.”
Evidence in the form of photos and videos that were taken outside the ground on the day of the final suggest that Liverpool fans, who had a different entrance assigned to enter than their Madrid counterparts, were at the receiving end of assault, harrassement, and mugging. The club also posted Chief executive Billy Hogan’s reaction on UEFA’s statement on their website.
“We at Liverpool have been calling for an investigation into what happened in Paris on Saturday, not a report”, he said.
“I think those are two very different things. We’ve written to Uefa again today and we’ve raised specific questions – 13 specific questions – that we’d like them to clarify around the details of this investigation.”
Meanwhile French authorities have continued to blame mass gathering of supporters with fake tickets as the reason for the chaos.
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