French sports minister blames Liverpool fans for causing problem ahead of UCL final
While speaking in an interview with French radio RTL, as quoted by The Guardian, France’s sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has suggested that Liverpool fans without tickets or fake tickets sparked the management problem ahead of the UEFA Champions League final in Paris.
Real Madrid defeated the Reds in the 2021/22 Champions League final to become the Champion for the 14th time in their history. However, what attracted attention was the events transpiring outside the stadium due to congestion and management problems.
It all started with a portion of Liverpool fans ‘allegedly’ breaking into the stadium illegally. When the situation got out of hand, French riot police arrived who managed the overwhelming event by spraying tear gas on the fans including children and older citizens.
UEFA halted the starter of the game for 35 minutes to help the ticket-bearing fans get into the stadium safely. However, several reports emerged after the match that many of the Liverpool fans who had tickets including the families of the players and coaching staff couldn’t get into the stadium.
Now, French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has blamed Liverpool fans who were travelling without tickets or fake tickets and tried to barge into the stadium illegally.
“What we really have to bear in mind is that what happened, first of all, was this mass gathering of the British supporters of the Liverpool club, without tickets, or with fake tickets,”
She even suggested that some local youths also intensified the issue by mixing with the Liverpool fans and baring into the stadium.
“When there are that many people by the entrance to the stadium, there will be people trying to force their way in through the doors of the Stade de France, and a certain number of youths from the nearby area who were present tried to get in by mixing in with the crowd.”
UEFA were quick to criticise “the late arrival of fans” for the management problem. However, the Merseyside police who travelled with the fans rejected the European governing bodies’ perspective on the matter.
Passing the buck!
Liverpool fans are known for their loud support and they were seen engaging in celebration and mass parade long before the Champions League final match that day. However, to blame them for the French government’s lack of organisational skills is farcical.
Several reliable journalists have reported the truth of what was happening outside the stadium and continue to do so even today. The media both in France and outside have kept up their united front against the French government’s official version.
Both UEFA and the French government lacked the necessary promptness to manage the situation and couldn’t deal with it when it spread massively. There is little to suggest that anyone but them can be held responsible for the fracas.
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Passing on the fracas to the fans sets a bad precedent that could compromise future events as well. Thankfully no lives were lost in the event and necessary investigations will take place to bring those guilty to book.
Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has highly criticised UEFA and has asked for some crucial answers. France’s sports ministry is expected to meet with UEFA officials today to investigate the matter further.
