UEFA have finally apologised to Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters for "distressing events" at the Champions League final as they revealed the scope of the review into the chaos.
But the governing body has not specifically said sorry for their initial assertion last Saturday's match at the Stade de France had been delayed "due to the late arrival of fans", a claim from which they backtracked later that evening.
On Friday morning, Real Madrid 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 match.
READ MORE: Liverpool blast 'disgraceful' French minister comments and question UEFA independent report
UEFA. who announced their independent report earlier this week, have now said they will contact fan groups connected to Liverpool and Real for feedback as part of the review. Liverpool, though, are urging a proper investigation rather than a review having have now received more than 6,500 accounts from fans who were caught up in the events.
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, French interior minister Gerald Darmanin and sport minister Amelie Oudea-Castera maintain Reds fans were to blame and have dismissed suggestions of any trouble at the Real end of the stadium.
But UEFA admit supporters from both clubs were affected, with fans pointing to heavy-handed policing and poor organisation as chief reasons for the problems. However, the statement released by UEFA on Friday evening makes no mention of reviewing events after the match outside the stadium, nor the misleading message emblazoned on the screens inside the Stade de France initially blaming supporters for the delayed kick-off.
"UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to all spectators who had to experience or witness frightening and distressing events in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France on 28 May 2022 in Paris, on a night which should have been a celebration of European club football," read a statement. "No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again.
"To that end, immediately after the events, UEFA commissioned an Independent Review to identify shortcomings and responsibilities of all entities involved in the organisation of the final. The Independent Review, which will be led by Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues from Portugal, aims at understanding what happened in the build-up to the final, and determining what lessons should be learned to ensure there is no repeat of the actions and events of that day."
The statement continued: "The Review will seek to establish a full picture and timeline of what occurred during the day, both within the stadium and the surrounding areas, including examining spectator flows to the stadium via the various access points.
"It will also examine all relevant operational plans related to security, mobility, ticketing, as well as others at the discretion of the chairman of the Review, and will examine the planning and preparedness of the involved entities for the staging of the final, including at additional sites such as the Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF fan meeting points.
"The Independent Review aims to identify any issues or gaps in the implementation and running of operations and assess the roles and responsibilities of all the entities involved and the adequacy of their response to events, in order to make recommendations on best practices for the future for UEFA and the relevant stakeholders.
"The Review will engage with UEFA and all relevant stakeholders, including, but not limited to, fan groups including Football Supporters Europe as well as those of the two finalist clubs; the finalist clubs themselves; general spectators; the French Football Federation; the Police and other public national and local authorities, and the stadium operator."
UEFA have said they will soon provide information on how relevant parties can submit their testimonies, with the review concluding "within the shortest possible time-frame needed to produce a comprehensive review of the events".
