One week on from the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, shocking details of what took place outside the ground and in the streets of Paris continue to emerge.
On Friday, UEFA finally apologised to both sets of supporters for the "distressing events" that unfolded at the Stade de France.
Much of the focus since last Saturday has been on what happened when Liverpool fans attempted to make their way in before kick-off, as they were met with dangerous bottlenecks, gate closures and an ill-judged, heavy-handed policing operation.
TV cameras, social media images, videos and eyewitness reports have all provided ample evidence of issues in the build-up to the match. But there were also serious problems once the game had finished.
Madrid have joined Liverpool in demanding answers from UEFA and the French authorities over the trouble - stating their supporters were left "helpless and defenceless" from being attacked following the final whistle.
And James Beglin, 32, son of Reds hero Jim, has written his vivid account of the awful scenes later in the evening.
It paints a frightening picture of a 'lawless hell' which Liverpool supporters were forced to make their way through - and a concerning lack of protection from authorities.
Here is James' first-hand account:
Getting close to the stadium was an unpleasant experience, but there weren’t any problems at Gate C when we entered (about two-and-a-half hours before kick-off).
What happened before the match is well documented. What happened afterwards isn’t. This is an account of my experience on the streets of Saint-Denis on Saturday night.
After we left the Stade de France, we started to walk towards the nearby ‘La Plaine – Stade de France’ train station. As we got closer, we heard what sounded like two loud gunshots, followed by Liverpool supporters ahead of us turning and running back in the opposite direction. After shouts of “tear gas, tear gas”, we quickly turned and speedily joined those fleeing the vicinity.
We were forced into heading towards the ‘Saint-Denis Porte de Paris’ station (where we had first arrived hours earlier) and we quickly descended into a chaotic situation. Two large gangs of young men were charging through the oncoming crowd of Liverpool fans. What they were running towards, I don’t know, but it was disconcerting.
It was after we’d walked just a little further that the real trouble started. There were gangs of men everywhere and they had clearly been waiting for us. That’s when the ambushes began.
People were saying “protect your pockets”, as many of the thugs ahead had been glaring at anything they could easily steal. I quickly put my hands in my pockets and clenched hold of my phone and wallet. Here we go…
The gangs were jumping and mugging anyone and everyone they could. Fights started to break out all over the place, though none were anything close to fair. Groups of three or four attackers would jump lone Liverpool fans.
READ MORE: UEFA issue apology to Liverpool supporters but 'late arrival' claim ignored
READ MORE: Real Madrid release strong statement and join Liverpool in demanding CL answers
A member of our party had broken her foot a month prior and was walking with a limp as a result. She had a handbag and was in a really vulnerable position. Three of us linked arms and formed a human barrier to protect her from any potential attacks from behind.
It was like a post-apocalyptic, lawless hell. Everywhere we looked, people were being mugged and there wasn’t a police officer in sight. No one was safe; I saw women, children and even a poor chap on crutches being attacked by the thugs.
We approached a large underpass to cross below a set of train tracks. As we made our way down the steps and into the darkness, we could see the gangs lined up along each wall. This was all one big, planned and coordinated ambush; we didn’t stand a chance. The muggings and beatings continued as we silently prayed our way through. I did see a Liverpool fan react to someone attempting to jump him by delivering perhaps the best knockout punch I’ve ever seen, but I’m haunted by the memory of an elderly gentleman (in his seventies) trying to climb to his feet having been terribly beaten up.
By some miracle, we made it through the underpass unharmed and entered the metro station (Saint-Denis Porte de Paris). The situation on the platform seemed calmer, and I could see a lot of Liverpool fans. Stupidly, I thought we were safe, so I let my guard down and took my hands out of my pockets. Within two minutes, I felt someone behind me pull my phone from my pocket. I turned to see a gang who had made their way onto the platform. There were three of them directly in front of me, but I wasn’t certain which of them had taken the phone.
I shouted at the closest of the three who had been standing directly behind me, pointing at him and demanding my phone back, but they were professionals. By then, the phone had already been passed back from gang member to gang member and I was never going to recover it. The three in front of me were showing me their hands and the insides of their pockets as if to say “it wasn’t us, we don’t have your phone!”
I continued to shout and demand they return the stolen phone; that’s when the bigger of the three got in my face and pushed me, before a large Liverpool fan jumped into the fray and whacked the thief in the face. I panicked and thought they were going to pull a knife out, but the big guy stared them out and seemed to put the fear of God into them. They slowly backed off and left. He later told me that he knew I wasn’t getting the phone back, so he just “wanted to give them a receipt, lad!”
The day after, we spoke to some embarrassed and apologetic Parisians who told us about Saint-Denis, which is the northern suburb of Paris where the Stade de France is located. We were told that police do not set foot in Saint-Denis unless they’re in large numbers, given how unsafe it can be. We were also told by a member of airport staff on the way home that Saint-Denis is “overrun” with criminal gangs. It’s only since arriving home and reading about the place that I’ve discovered more equally concerning reports about the high crime rates in Saint-Denis.
Football legend Thierry Henry (Paris born and bred) actually alerted his audience about Saint-Denis while working as a pundit on the Champions League for CBS. “Be careful” he warned, “you don’t want to be in Saint-Denis.”
With this in mind, why did the police hang us out to dry? If they know that Saint-Denis is so dangerous, why didn’t they protect us? Instead of launching tear gas at innocent supporters, why couldn’t they have done their job and policed the streets leading to the metro stations?
A sweep of the area behind the stadium at the Real Madrid end just after the final whistle would surely have cleared the thugs and made it a lot safer for both sets of departing fans.
Now that I’m home, I’ve had a chance to catch up on the experiences of others on the streets of Saint-Denis. I’ve read about attacks on children, knife attacks and even attacks in full view of police who turned a blind eye. Real Madrid fans were similarly targeted.
I'm one of the lucky ones though. I wasn’t hurt and many were. A stolen phone is better than being slashed, stabbed or beaten up. My heart goes out to those who weren’t as fortunate as me. There are serious questions that need to be asked of the French authorities, and with French government ministers lying about what really happened on Saturday night, I intend to do what little I can.
