A report presented to the French Prime Minister in the aftermath of the chaos at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris made reference to the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 as a contributing factor to the excessive policing at the event.
Liverpool and Real Madrid met at the Stade de France on May 28, although the UEFA showpiece was marred by what occurred outside the stadium before and after the game.
Supporters from both clubs had issues getting into and away from the venue in Saint-Denis, while some fans were pepper sprayed as they sought to enter with valid tickets.
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The calamitous scenes have prompted responses from both football clubs, UEFA and the French government.
However, as relayed by The Guardian, a 30-page report from Michel Cadot - the French sports ministry’s delegate on major sporting events - has indicated the heavy-handed policing supporters faced was due to disinformation and prejudice surrounding possible hooliganism.
In the document sent to French Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne on Friday, it is first noted Liverpool fans are not renowned for violence at football matches.
But it continues: "Reference to the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989 – 97 deaths – for which the responsibility of the [police] was pointed out, led however to the drawing up of a firm policing arrangement, to maintain order in riot gear, in order to be able to respond to a risk of collective phenomena of hooliganism and havoc, as had happened in Marseilles on 13 June 2016 during the England-Russia game"
In 2016, after a 27-year fight for justice from bereaved families, it was determined those who died at Hillsborough were unlawfully killed. It was categorically shown that fans played no role in causing the disaster.
As relayed in the Guardian article, Louise Brookes, whose 26-year-old brother Andrew was one of the 97 who died at Hillsborough, described the reference in the French report as "a total, outrageous failure to understand the disaster."
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old James died at Hillsborough, said the new document has "confirmed our worst suspicions" over the scenes in Paris.
"It shows the power of the lies that were told by the police in this country, that are still believed and repeated by far too many people," she added. "Football stadiums and policing were made much safer after the disaster, and all football supporters should understand that."
At the time of writing, the French sports ministry and the interior ministry had not responded to the Guardian's request for comment.
