LONDON: UEFA has failed in an attempt to stop lawsuits brought by hundreds of Liverpool fans who attended the 2022 Champions League final in Paris for personal injuries allegedly caused by chaos outside the stadium.

The case against European football’s governing body and UEFA Events, which was filed in 2023, was brought after mayhem outside the Stade de France before the match, which was delayed for more than 30 minutes.

French police were filmed using tear gas on fans, who complained of heavy-handed treatment as they were herded into pens outside the stadium.

An independent review of incidents outside the stadium found that UEFA was responsible for a “large number of near misses that nearly led to disaster” before the final, which Real Madrid won 1-0.

UEFA settled with a group of Liverpool fans last year, but a separate case being brought on behalf of around 800 others continued at the High Court.

UEFA denies liability and its lawyers argued at a hearing in July the case should be thrown out, but its application has now been rejected.

Jill Paterson, one of the claimants’ lawyers from law firm Leigh Day, said in a statement: “This is a landmark legal decision for Liverpool fans in their battle for justice against UEFA. UEFA will now have to answer them in the English courts. All football fans should be able to attend matches safely.”

A UEFA spokesperson said the ruling allowed for UEFA’s arguments about whether the case should be heard in England to be revisited once more information is available.

Initially UEFA blamed Liverpool fans for the chaos, before apologising after an independent review.

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