An independent report has said UEFA was “primarily responsible” for the chaotic scenes that “nearly led to disaster” before last year’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Fans fired tear gas outside the Stade de France in Paris after kick-off was delayed by 36 minutes.
“It is remarkable that no one lost their lives,” said a report commissioned by UEFA after the May 28 final.
UFA and French officials initially blamed ticketless fans for the incidents.
The report says there is “no evidence” to support the “reprehensible” claims.
“The committee concluded that UEFA, as the event owner, bore primary responsibility for the failures which almost led to the disaster,” the report said.
“All stakeholders interviewed by the panel agreed that this situation was a near miss: the term used when an incident almost turns into a mass-fatal disaster.”
The findings said European governing body UEFA was “in the loop”, although it said there was “contributory error” from other bodies – notably the French police and the French football federation.
“UEFA should retain a monitoring and oversight role [of security], to make sure it all worked. That is self-evidently not,” the report added.
What else did the report find?
UEFA commissioned an independent report three days after the match – European club football’s showpiece Liverpool lost 1-0 – in the French capital.
The European governing body said the “comprehensive review” would ultimately examine a range of factors, including the decision-making, responsibility and conduct of all parties involved.
The investigation found eight key factors that “led to near disaster” due to UEFA’s failure, including:
- A large number of Liverpool supporters were directed to the Stade de France Saint-Denis train station
- Poor route planning between railway station and stadium
- Inadequate ticketing systems and entry procedures at additional security perimeters
- Large groups of locals were entering the stadium and police failed to police them
- Police use tear gas and pepper spray at concours
It said collective action by Liverpool supporters was “probably instrumental” in preventing “more serious injuries and deaths” outside the stadium.
The investigation was chaired by Portuguese politician Dr Tiago Brando Rodríguez, with the committee comprising experts and consultants from the fields of law, policing and event-management, along with representatives of football fan groups.
“The excitement surrounding the game quickly turned into a real ‘near miss’ which was detrimental to a significant number of fans of both clubs,” Dr Rodriguez said.
“This should never happen at such a major sporting event and it is unacceptable that it happened in the heart of the European continent.”
The report made 21 recommendations in a bid to ensure that “everything possible is done” to prevent any similar incidents from happening again at a major sporting event.
It warned French authorities that it was a “wake-up call” ahead of hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Rugby and Paralympic Games.
Uefa apologizes to Liverpool fans
For many Liverpool fans, the incident and the subsequent attempt to blame the supporters has brought back painful memories of the Hillsborough disaster.
Ninety-seven Liverpool supporters died as a result of the April 1989 tragedy at the Sheffield Wednesday Stadium, where fans were crushed as fans packed the Leppings Lane end during an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
After years of a smear campaign, a new inquest in 2016 found that Liverpool supporters’ behavior played no part in the deaths and that the dead were unlawfully killed.
The report, led by Rodriguez, criticized allegations made by Uefa and French officials about ticketless Liverpool fans in Paris.
“The parallels between Hillsborough 1989 and Paris 2022 are clear,” it added.
“Both incidents are preventable and both incidents are caused by failures of those responsible for public safety.
“Both events were expected.”
Following the publication of the review on the Paris scenes, UEFA apologized “most sincerely” for the unfolding events.
UEFA said it would also announce a “special refund scheme” for affected fans.
“In particular, I want to apologize to Liverpool’s supporters,” UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis said.
“For the experiences many of them had while attending the game and for the messages released before and during the game, this has the effect of unfairly blaming them for the situation leading to the delayed kick-off.”
What did Liverpool and the fans say?
Uefa initially aimed to publish the investigation’s findings in November last year.
The report was released on Monday, around an hour before Liverpool’s home game against Merseyside rivals Everton.
Mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotherham says the findings have “infuriated” Liverpool fans who have said UEFA and French authorities are responsible for the incidents.
“Fans who traveled to Paris in anticipation of the night of their lives were harmed by the very people who were meant to protect them,” said Rotherham, who was at the match.
“The organization before, during and after the game – and the heavy treatment of the fans – is predicated on flawed intelligence and the incorrect preconceptions and prejudices of the officials.”
The findings are expected to be set for publication on Tuesday, but details of the investigation’s conclusions were reported by several media outlets on Monday.
Liverpool said they had not received a copy of the report before seeing the stories in the media.
“It is very disappointing that a report of such importance to the lives and future safety of football supporters has been leaked and published in this way,” the club said.
Liverpool supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly were also unhappy that the report was leaked before the club and their supporters could see it.
“It is disappointing and insensitive to release a report of this magnitude without first releasing it to supporters who were there,” a spokesman told the BBC.
What happened outside the Stade de France?
Uefa initially blamed the “late arrival” of fans, which delayed kick-off by more than half an hour.
Many Liverpool fans said they were at the stadium hours before kick-off – set for 21:00 local time – but were stopped from getting onto the ground.
The gates opened at 18:00 local time and fans were told to arrive early to minimize traffic.
Liverpool supporters who arrived a little later said that large crowds were already not moving through the ticket checkpoint, causing fans to crowd the underpasses outside the stadium.
Five minutes before kick-off, at 20:55, Uefa announced that the start of the match had been delayed until 21:15 for “security reasons”.
French police began using pepper spray, causing spectators to scramble backwards and some to vomit, while others rushed for water from neighboring bars to ease the pain, witnesses said.
At 21:14 Uefa announced a further delay to kick-off. Finally, the match started at 21:36.
France’s interior and sports ministers acknowledged difficulties in managing crowds at the final but initially accused Liverpool fans and local youth of trying to force their way into the stadium.
French Sports Minister Amelie Audia-Castera said Liverpool had left their supporters “out in the woods”, forcing Liverpool chairman Tom Werner to apologize for his comments.
Shortly after the final, Mathieu Vallet, a spokesman for France’s Independent Police Commissioners Union (SICP), told the BBC’s Newshour that “supporters without tickets or with fake tickets are not the main problem”.
He said this allowed “three or four hundred French and undocumented criminals” access to the stadium’s concourse.
“It’s clear we need more police – we haven’t had enough on the ground,” he said.