France’s sports minister said on Monday that Liverpool Fans without valid tickets were responsible for crowd problems initially at the Champions League final, which were then exacerbated by local youths trying to squeeze their way into the match. .
Crowd trouble at the match in Paris has become a political issue ahead of French parliamentary elections in mid-June, and the French government held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the issue. bronze.
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French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said: “What we really have to keep in mind is that what happened first of all was a large gathering of English supporters of Liverpool club, without tickets or fake tickets”. told French radio station RTL before the meeting.
“When there were many people at the entrance to the stadium, there would be people trying to get in through the doors of the Stade de France, and some young people from the nearby area were present trying to get in. by blend in with the crowd.”
The match was postponed 35 minutes after police tried to stop people trying to enter the national stadium without tickets, while some ticket holders complained they were not allowed in.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said more than 100 people had been arrested after the mob disturbance. He also said that Liverpool had provided supporters with paper tickets rather than electronic tickets, which allowed for the possibility of what he described as “a major fraud on an industrial scale. “
Darmanin said there were 29 arrests around and inside the Stade de France, of which half he said were “British citizens”, and another 77 arrests in the surrounding, unrelated Seine Saint Denis Paris suburb to British citizens.
Darmanin added that while French authorities had taken steps to prepare for the possibility of problems, they were caught off guard by local youths who also showed up to cause trouble at the match.
His spokesman said on Monday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “deeply disappointed” by the treatment of Liverpool football fans.
A spokesman said: “The footage from the Stade de France this weekend has been disappointing and deeply disturbing. We know many Liverpool fans have arrived in Paris in good time … and we are in awe. disappointed by the way they were treated.”
Television footage showed a young man jumping the yard gate to escape security to enter the game. A Reuters witness said other people outside, including children, were torn apart by riot police.
“We need to take all the necessary steps to make sure this never happens again,” Oudea-Castera said at the start of the meeting.
Leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said on Sunday: “The images are unfortunate, they are disturbing because we can clearly see that we are not prepared for events like the Olympic Games.” , calling the incident a “disgrace” to France.
Far-right politician Eric Zemmour also said that the trouble was mainly caused by local youth from the nearby district of Seine-Saint-Denis, not by Liverpool fans.
Chris Philp, Britain’s Technology Secretary, said he was shocked by the images.
He said: “I was horrified when I saw images of fans including children, fans with disabilities, being pepper sprayed by French police. “And from the pictures I see no clear justification for that kind of behavior.”
The chaotic scene is seen as a national shame in France, which will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games.
Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan said the club wants a “transparent investigation” by the governing body UEFA. Britain’s sports minister, Nadine Dorries, also urged UEFA to investigate.
Oudea-Castera said there was no problem with Madrid’s supporters at Saturday’s game and that the Spanish side had better control of their traveling fans than Liverpool.
She added that France must however check increased security at high-risk football matches, with further trouble occurring the following Sunday. Saint-Etienne have been relegated from French Ligue 1.
