French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin says the chaos outside the Stade de France on Saturday was due to 'organised fraud' of fake tickets, suggesting between 30,000 and 40,000 Liverpool supporters arrived with counterfeit tickets.
The final against Real Madrid over the weekend was delayed by 30 minutes as a result of the queues outside the ground, but footage also emerged of authorities tear-gassing and pepper-spraying supporters waiting to be let in. Following a meeting between the French government, UEFA and authorities, Darmanin pointed the blame at fans.
He told a press conference on Monday: "We did not note any differences in our interpretation (of the events, between those present at the meeting). The decision was taken three months ago (to move the final to the Stade de France) following the geopolitical situation in Moscow. Whereas we usually take 12 to 18 months to organise such an event, this was done in three. We regret that there was a deformity in the way the Liverpool fans were welcomed, unlike with the Spanish supporters.
