A new report based on hundreds of eyewitness accounts has found lives were "put at risk" by UEFA's "abject failure" at the Champions League final in Paris.
The final, contested between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France on May 28, saw thousands of Liverpool supporters treated dangerously in the surrounding areas of France's national stadium. Supporters - including children and those with disabilities - were forced into cramped and dangerous spaces before the game as turnstiles remained closed, before being indiscriminately sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray by French police.
In July, an official French parliamentary report said French authorities had "stereotyped" Liverpool FC fans, who were initially blamed for the chaos by figures such as French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. And now a new independent panel report, based on the written testimonies of 485 women, men and children, and eyewitness accounts by international journalists, tells the story of those who survived extreme violence at the hands of the police and local gangs.
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Compiled by five leading authorities in their respective fields, including Hillsborough campaigner Professor Phil Scraton, the report’s 53 findings focus on policing, pre-match preparation, fans’ experiences and UEFA’s role and responsibilities.
The report’s authors state: “Held for several hours in a bottleneck close to the ground, then again in static queues at malfunctioning turnstiles, fans were subjected to unprovoked tear-gassing by the paramilitary police. On leaving the stadium they were attacked at knife-point by gangs who stole their possessions. They were tear-gassed repeatedly by the police.
“Without protection, many who had paid significant amounts of money for match tickets, travel and accommodation did not enter the stadium. Fortuitously, no-one died but those injured missed their travel home. Thousands, including children, have been left traumatised.”
Speaking about the findings, Professor Scraton said: “It is difficult to comprehend the sequence of events that constituted the debacle in Paris, leaving so many people physically injured, psychologically harmed and financially compromised. Having paid inflated prices for travel, accommodation and attendance, men, women and children were subjected to unprovoked, indiscriminate police violence including tear gas and baton assaults, together with robbery at knife-point by local gangs.
"Many left before the match, those who stayed were subjected to further attacks by riot police and gangs on leaving the stadium and arriving at local stations. Responsibility for the collapse in authority, management and safety, lies with those organising and administering the event.”
Some of the key findings include:
- Inadequate pre-match preparation by UEFA and the Paris agencies
- Aggressive policing – before, during and after the match
- Inadequate provision for crowd safety and event management
- Fans’ left traumatised by unprovoked assaults by the police and local gangs;
- Abject failure by UEFA in meeting its responsibilities.
Dr Lucy Easthope, Professor in Practice of Risk and Hazard at the University of Durham said: “Fans’ statements raise substantial concerns about whether UEFA and the French authorities have learned from previous events. Their safety was compromised, not least by indiscriminate, reckless and unprovoked police use of tear gas. Lives were put at risk by a collective, operational failure to implement a comprehensive stadium safety management plan that should have been regularly tested, risk assessed and refined. Detailing the experiences of those who were there, this report provides the foundation to developing a comprehensive approachto stadium safety, event management and attendees’ welfare.”
The full report, "Treated With Contempt": An Independent Panel Report into Fans' Experiences Before, During and After the 2022 Champions League Final in Paris", is available to read here.
Professor Phil Scraton will feature on BBC Panorama’s ‘The Champions League Final: What went Wrong?’ tonight at 8.00pm on BBC One.
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