KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —- European federation UEFA has been castigated by the very report it commissioned into the security failings which came close to causing tragedy at the Champions League Final in the Stade de France at Saint-Germain north of Paris last May.

Liverpool fans had feared initially that the inquiry led by former Portuguese government minister Tiago Brandão Rodrigues would be a whitewash. Quite the contrary. His finger of blame is pointed directly at UEFA and the French police.

General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis, said: “On behalf of UEFA, I would like to apologise most sincerely once again to all those who were affected by the events that unfolded on what should have been a celebration at the pinnacle of the club season.

“In particular, I would like to apologise to the supporters of Liverpool FC for the experiences many of them had when attending the game and for the messages released prior to and during the game which had the effect of unjustly blaming them for the situation leading to the delayed kick-off.

“UEFA is committed to learning from the events of 28 May, and will cooperate closely with supporters’ groups, the finalist clubs, the host associations and local authorities in order to deliver outstanding finals where everyone can enjoy the game in a safe, secure and welcoming environment.” 

French police were criticised for firing tear gas and pepper spray indiscriminately on concourses near turnstiles being used by Liverpool fans before the game which Real Madrid ultimately won 1-0.

The French authorities have also been excoriated for deflecting responsibility, particularly with lies about a mass of fans without tickets or with fakes.

Hooligan behaviour

Police have been blamed for not being acting against local hooligans – who tried to climb fences and jump turnstiles – for attacking real fans and for being cavalier in unleashing tear gas and pepper spray on blameless fans.

UEFA has been assigned “primary responsibility” as event organiser and for the failure to prepare a Plan B which could have seen stewards and police redeployed to deal with crowd management challenges.

The match was delayed for 37 minutes as a combination of operational problems in an unnecessarily created bottleneck outside the venue created access issues for distressed fans, some disabled.

Fans who arrived late were not a cause because problems had been obvious three hours before kick-off.

The report claims the senior management of UEFA Events SA – the UEFA division running tournaments and showpiece matches – marginalised the safety and security unit with the use of subcontracted stewards and then tried to avoid accountability.

Allegedly flawed accounts by UEFA Events SA CEO Martin Kallen have also been criticised by the panel.

Planning for staging the final had begun far later than usual after UEFA had been forced, at three months’ notice, to find a new venue in place of St Petersburg after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Contributors to the review included sports safety experts and English fan representatives were also consulted.

UEFA said it “welcomed” the report and promised to learn the lessons.

UEFA view

A statement said:

“[The report] highlights a number of important lessons about how the organisation of the final could have been improved. The report also makes a set of valuable recommendations to ensure better fan experience and safety at future events. 

“UEFA is currently analysing the findings of the review and assessing them against its own analysis of the organisation of the event and facts that occurred around it.

“At the same time, UEFA is reviewing the recommendations of the Panel in order to introduce appropriate changes and arrangements to ensure the highest level of safety for fans at future finals.”

First major test will be this season’s Champions League Final in Istanbul in June.

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