European football governing body UEFA and French authorities are to blame for the chaos that delayed the start of last year’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid and left thousands of supporters stranded outside the stadium, according to a report.
“It is remarkable that no lives were lost,” wrote the authors in a 220-page review commissioned by UEFA.
According to the report, UEFA’s model for the event lacked “overall control or oversight of safety and security”. The organizational model adopted by the French police was also flawed, aimed at the non-existent threat from football hooligans and preoccupied with ticketless fans rather than ensuring the safe movement of people around the stadium.
The report said the event should be seen as a wake-up call for French authorities ahead of the Rugby World Cup this year and the 2024 Olympic Games. The opening ceremony is planned for the banks of the Seine River in central Paris, and dozens of competitions in the capital are expected to draw millions of spectators.
UK calls for clarity after Champions League final chaos
Reviewing panel chairman Tiago Brandao Rodrigues put forward the report, saying that the fans attending the 2022 Champions League final were “the main victims of the shameful events of that day.” The panel found no evidence of an unusually large number of unticketed supporters or people with invalid tickets.
In a statement on the UEFA website, general secretary Theodor Theodoridis apologized to fans, particularly Liverpool supporters.
A spokeswoman for the French interior ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment via phone and email.