Liverpool Football Club has handed over thousands of testimonials to an independent panel, after supporters shared personal accounts of their shocking experiences at the Champions League Final in Paris.
An independent investigation was launched after a report from the French Senate found ‘multiple organisation failures’ caused the ‘fiasco’ at the Stade de France on May 28, 2022, when the Reds faced Real Madrid in the biggest match in European club football.
Now a dossier containing the testimonials of over 8,500 supporters, including written accounts, photographs and videos has been delivered for the UEFA independent panel to review.
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In the wake of the marred final, Liverpool Football Club invited supporters to share their experiences of the event to help build a body of evidence that could then be forwarded to UEFA. Over 9,000 attendees submitted their own personal accounts, with more than 8,500 granting the club permission to use their submissions as part of the investigation.
Liverpool's chief executive officer, Billy Hogan has shared his appreciation on the efforts of contributing supporters. In a statement on the club's official website, he said: "I’d like to thank all our supporters who took time to write to us after Paris to tell us their first-hand experiences from that day and night. Having read and analysed the testimonials, we know that our supporters suffered harrowing experiences that nobody should have to face going to a football match or any other events. We have analysed the testimonials to pick out recurring themes from the submissions."
He added: "The purpose of providing an executive summary and the testimonials themselves is to help the independent panel understand that human beings were caught up in the chaos on May 28 and the experience of that day and night will live with them forever. We want the independent panel to understand that behind the report and analysis there are real stories of real people who were subjected to some appalling and totally avoidable experiences."
Having reviewed all of the testimonials that were submitted, the club has identified eight key themes that led to the disturbing situations experienced on the day of the match. They include:
- Congestion at access points
- Insufficient supporter travel information
- Significant issues at the outer ticket cordon check areas and inner turnstiles
- Heavy reports of excessive riot policing tactics
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Lack of communication to supporters outside of the stadium
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Emotional impact of the incorrect reason for delayed kick-off
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Issues with getting in and out of the stadium
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Issues exiting the fan park
CEO Hogan has confirmed that the independent panel will now review the dossier of testimonials and is due to visit the club on Merseyside to discuss further.
He said: "We'll be doing that soon, they're actually going to be making a trip to Liverpool to meet with us. It'll be a great opportunity, frankly, for us to sit down with them and for them to hear directly from us in terms of our experience pre-, during and post-match.
"And also, we've discussed with the panel and certainly encouraged them but I should say they were absolutely willing and wanted to meet with supporters and supporter groups. They're going to be meeting with them as well when they come to Liverpool. We certainly welcome that. We'll continue to keep you and everybody else updated as the process continues."
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