UEFA changed the “blame game” for the Champions League final chaos after being inundated with complaints from corporate fans.
European football’s governing body initially blamed the “late arrival” of Liverpool fans with announcements on the big screens on the Stade de France before kick-off. Supporters already in the stadium booed the messages but UEFA stuck to their guns as they also blamed fake tickets for the trouble caused before kick-off in Paris on Saturday night.
But Mirror Sport understands that UEFA was deluged with complaints from corporate sponsors who were entertaining thousands of clients at great expense. Sponsors like PlayStation, Just Eat and Expedia all had hundreds of guests who had been enjoying pre-match hospitality in the Champions Village entertainment area.
That was within a short distance of the stadium turnstiles, but many were caught up in the chaos and were crushed trying to get into the ground. Many found their electronic tickets on their phones did not work and were encouraged to duck under the turnstiles to get into the game.
They had been bussed to within a 10-minute walk of the stadium hours before the game, had undergone two rounds of security checks before gaining entry into the Champions Village where food and drink was laid on. By the time many went to go to the stadium the turnstiles were locked, and security struggled to open them again while they complained of feeling the effects of pepper spray and tear gas in the air.
Liverpool fans in normal seats told horror stories of getting into the ground of crushes, inadequate security checks and yet the authorities did not seem to initially believe their word. However, it quickly became clear that big-paying sponsors - who pay millions in corporate deals - were just as unhappy and UEFA’s stance changed to pledging a full investigation.
It did represent a remarkably quick U-turn by UEFA to go from blaming fans to an acceptance that something had gone wrong and, while it would be difficult to prove, the pressure from corporate fans who pay millions and are not seen as troublemakers may have been significant.
UEFA say they will not comment further while their inquiry is ongoing. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has doubled down on blaming Liverpool fans this week. UEFA did send out warnings and notices last week about the dangers of counterfeit tickets, but experts believe just over 2,000 fakes were in circulation rather than the 40,000 suggested by French officials.
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