[ad_1]
FILE PHOTO: Champions League Final – Liverpool v Real Madrid – Stade de France, Saint-Denis near Paris, France – May 28, 2022 A public view of a message displayed on a big screen at the stadium before the match as kick off is delayed REUTERS /Kai Pfaffenbach
LIVERPOOL, England—A review into the chaos ahead of the 2022 Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid says UEFA’s committee is responsible for the events that unfolded including “so many near-catastrophic losses”.
European football’s governing body UEFA has apologized to Liverpool for initially blaming the Merseyside club’s fans for the chaos following the launch of an independent review on Monday.
The final was delayed 36 minutes after thousands of Liverpool supporters were unable to enter the Stade de France for the match on May 28, which Real won 1-0, while French police were filmed using tear gas on fans including women and children.
UEFA and French authorities at the time blamed the chaos on ticket fraud, although a review found no evidence to support these claims.
The final “will be remembered as a moment of suffering for many fans, but it must also be a reminder of a situation that we certainly do not want to witness again in the future in any sporting event in Europe or anywhere in the world,” said Tiago Brandao. Rodrigues, a member of Portugal’s parliament, is leading the investigation.
“Avoiding future disasters and improving the services provided at football events is the objective of the Panel’s work during this process,” he added in the 220-page review, which has a panel including legal consultants, police and event management as well as representatives. from fan groups.
UEFA Secretary General Theodore Theodoridis said the football body “would like to extend our sincere apologies once again to all those affected by the events that took place at what should have been a celebration at the peak of the club’s season.”
He added: “In particular, I would like to apologize to the supporters of Liverpool FC for the experience that many people had when attending the game and the messages that were sent before and during the match that caused them to be unfairly blamed for the situation that led to the delay of kick-off. “
Liverpool said they were disappointed they did not receive a copy of the report before it appeared in some British media a few hours before it was officially released.
“It is deeply disappointing that a report of such importance, so important to the lives of football supporters and future safety, had to be leaked and published in this way,” the Merseyside club said in a statement.
“It has been more than eight months of work by an independent panel and it is right and proper to publish the contents of the report to supporters in due course.”
RELATED STORY
Your subscription cannot be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
Read Next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & 70+ other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to news, download from 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For suggestions, complaints, or questions, please contact us.
[ad_2]
Source link