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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Liverpool fan groups react to damning French Senate report on Champions League final

Liverpool supporters' union the Spirit of Shankly are demanding an apology from the French government "with a complete retraction of the lies" peddled in the aftermath of the Champions League final in May.

And the Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association have called on interior minister Gerald Darmanin to resign for his handling of the fallout in early June.

On Wednesday, a Senate inquiry in France, led by Laurent Lafon and Francois-Noel Buffet, exonerated Liverpool fans for any blame on a shameful evening for the French authorities outside the Stade de France.

READ MORE: Liverpool FC fans falsely blamed for Paris Champions League final chaos, Senate report finds

READ MORE: Liverpool offer free Anfield tickets to supporters caught up in Champions League final chaos

Fans of both the Reds and Real Madrid were subjected to horrendous treatment from riot police at the stadium as well as muggings from local gangs before and after the 1-0 defeat to los Blancos in the European showpiece.

As many as 9,000 testimonies were given to Liverpool FC by fans in the wake of their Paris nightmare in which fans that included children were subject to indiscriminate tear-gassings and attacks from youths from Saint-Denis where the Stade de France is situated.

In a press conference held to coincide with the findings of the Senate's investigation, Mr Lafon said: " Liverpool supporters wanting to support their team are not responsible for what happened. The number of people around the stadium did not cause all the chaos. We know these fans travel en masse, that was foreseen.

"Every authority was acting on their own without co-operating, and that means nobody really felt they were responsible for anything. This was a chain of administrative errors. It is clear that the arguments put forward by the interior minister Gerald Darmanin, including that there was a massive ticket forgery, are not the cause of the problems at this match.

"We present our apologies and our condolences for what happened to Liverpool and Real Madrid fans. They are victims of what happened."

Mr Buffet added : "Liverpool fans have been presented as the people who were mainly at fault for all these problems. That isn't right. The police were negligent on the petty crime around the stadium and the failed pre-filter check meant criminals were able to enter the stadium.

"One lesson learned that football supporters have not been listened to and have been misunderstood. Liverpool supporters have been identified as hooligans, throwing them back to the stereotypes of the 1980s."

Spirit of Shankly have now responded with a statement of their own calling for official apologies to be made to Reds fans who were initially blamed by Mr Darmanin in the aftermath of the chaos on May 28.

The statement read: "The false narrative began immediately - blaming fans for arriving late, for having fake tickets 'on an industrial scale' and for arriving in their thousands without tickets. But we, the supporters, knew the truth.

"It was a combination of serious errors...negligence and the ambivalence of UEFA and the relevant French authorities, including their police, that led to thousands of fans experiencing potential and in some cases life-changing threats.

"Threats from poor communication, stadium and crowd management. Threats from police batons, tear gas and pepper spray. Threats from local thugs making the most of the poor police operation that focused on the non-existent 'English hooligans'. Not on crowd-safety management.

"In short, it was a monumental failure of the French and UEFA organisation. We want a full apology from the French Government with a complete retraction of the lies purported on their behalf on and since 28 May 2022, and will continue to lobby to achieve it.

"We also believe only a full French Parliamentary inquiry, with witnesses testifying under oath, will bring truth and justice and will continue to lobby to achieve it."

The Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association called for Mr Darmanin to walk away from his post as interior minister, saying their members were subjected to a "carnival of horrors" on the night.

The LDSA said: "On Saturday 28 May 2022, Liverpool Football Club fans from around the world were invited to Paris by UEFA to attend a football festival. Among these supporters were many men, women and children with disabilities. But instead of enjoying a football festival, they experienced a carnival of horrors.

"Today's report from the French Senate Committee completely and unequivocally absolves Liverpool fans of any blame for the horrific events at the Stade de France.

"At this juncture, the LDSA would like to thank the co-chairs of the commission, Mr. Laurent Lafon and Mr. Francois Noël-Buffet, for their diligent and vigorous quest to seek the truth and accountability of those responsible for the serious shortcomings at the Stade de France. We will be eternally grateful for their offer to speak in person in the French Senate.

"Hearing the testimonies of our disabled and non-disabled supporters has been a crucial part of this process. Giving football fans that rare opportunity to express themselves is a lesson that many governing bodies should adopt if the facts are to be established.

"The results of this diligent investigation clearly show that those in positions of authority were responsible for the events that took place and that their actions endangered the lives of our disabled supporters; they must be held accountable. It was only because of the exemplary behaviour of Liverpool fans, who were subjected to extreme provocation by the police, that there were no deaths at the stadium.

"From the beginning, UEFA, the French police, but in particular the French Minister of the Interior, Mr Gerald Darmanin, sought to blame the Liverpool fans, making baseless accusations about their behaviour. They should all feel a deep sense of shame today, and as the LDSA previously requested, Mr. Darmanin should do the decent and honorable thing and resign!"

On Tuesday, the ECHO revealed that Liverpool are planning to invite around 550 child supporters, accompanied by an adult, who were caught up in the chaos at the Stade de France to Anfield for the final friendly of the summer schedule. The club are hoping to rebuild young match-going fans' confidence in attending fixtures once more by providing a 'safe space' for them to enjoy the football on July 31.

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