Do you feel safe when you go to a football match?

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2nd June 2022

EUROPEAN football bosses and the French police have been criticised for the chaotic scenes outside the Paris stadium where the Champions League final was being held.

Although Real Madrid’s fans seemed to have no problem getting into the Stade de France, lots of Liverpool fans either couldn’t get in or missed much of the game, which Liverpool lost 1-0 (see back page).

UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, at first said that Liverpool fans turned up late, but lots of Liverpool fans were pictured queuing for hours before the match started. Later, UEFA said that the Liverpool end was blocked because “thousands of fans” had bought fake tickets that didn’t work in the turnstiles.

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson called the situation a “shambles” and said that he gave a friend a genuine ticket for the match, but his friend was told it was a fake and wasn’t allowed into the stadium.

Locals have also been blamed for making the situation worse by trying to climb fences or slip past security to get in for free. French interior minister Gérald Darmanin said that around 30 people were arrested outside the stadium, but that half were British.

Merseyside Police had officers there who said that the “vast majority” of Liverpool fans were well behaved.

However, to keep Liverpool fans back, French police used pepper spray and tear gas, which cause a burning sensation in the eyes and lungs. Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson was at the match and said that pepper-spraying fans was “absolutely disgusting”. An independent investigation is due to look into the events.

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