KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: European football federation UEFA has commissioned an independent inquiry into the unhappy staging of the Champions League Final in the Stade de France on Saturday night.

This follows a defensive response from French government ministers after major access problems for Liverpool fans at the venue in Saint-Denis and complaints of indiscriminate use of pepper spray and tear gas aimed at men, women and children stuck outside shutdown entry gates.

Complaints from Liverpool supporters about security incompetence have been supported by anger from Real Madrid fans over muggings, assaults and personal thefts by local criminals.

The findings of the inquiry, to be led by Tiago Brandao Rodrigues, a Portuguese former government minister, will be published on conclusion. No timescale has been assessed.

Coincidentally French crowd anger spilled over into violence at the weekend after Saint-Etienne were relegated from Ligue 1 after losing a play-off against Auxerre in a penalty shoot-out. The match had ended in a 1-1 draw.

The defeat sparked a pitch invasion by angry Etienne fans, with many hurling flares at the main stand and towards the players’ tunnel. Police armed with shields and batons used tear gas to disperse supporters.

The loss ends an 18-year stay in the top flight for the 10-time French champions, and a return for Auxerre after a 10-year absence.

French league matches have been afflicted with a string of hooligan incidents all season and Sunday’s game was played with one stand in Saint-Etienne’s home ground closed because of previous trouble.

He made no mistake, and as soon as the ball nestled in the goal, fans flooded onto the pitch.

Players fled to the safety of the dressing rooms as police tried to quell the trouble.

They were just the latest ugly scenes at Saint-Etienne’s Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. The club have being sanctioned several times this season for crowd trouble and Sunday’s game was played with one stand closed following unrest at a game against Monaco last month.

UEFA statement:

The comprehensive review [of events in the Stade de France on Saturday] will examine decision making, responsibility and behaviours of all entities involved in the final.

The report will be independently compiled and Dr. Tiago Brandão Rodrigues from Portugal will lead the production of this review. 

Dr. Tiago Brandão Rodrigues (born in Braga, Portugal in 1977) is a Member of the Portuguese Parliament and the President of the Parliamentary Committee of Environment and Energy. He was the Portuguese Minister of Education (also in charge of Sports and Youth) between 2015 and 2022, a member of the World Antidoping Agency Foundation Board (2019-2021) and was the Portuguese Olympic attaché during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.  

In order to guarantee his independent status in the process, Dr. Brandão Rodrigues agreed to execute this task on a pro bono basis.  

Evidence will be gathered from all relevant parties and the findings of the independent report will be made public once completed and upon receipt of the findings, UEFA will evaluate the next steps.

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