The chief of Paris Police has apologised for the use of tear-gas during the Champions League final and admitted the operation was a "failure".
Police Prefect Didier Lallement said he was "the only one responsible" for the disgraceful scenes at the Stade de France stadium in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis, where Liverpool and Real Madrid fans were brutalised by police and targeted by local criminals.
According to news agency Reuters, Mr Lallement told a parliamentary hearing this morning that the operation around the final was a "failure" both because fans were harmed and the "image of France was degraded". However the chief also appeared to mitigate the failure, saying: "But the match was held and there were no serious injuries or deaths."
