June 03, (THEWILL) – UEFA has apologised to football fans for the treatment they received before Saturday’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France, and announced that an investigation would be launched.
Local officials used force to disperse supporters, and tear gas was deployed to disperse crowds, causing the game to be delayed by 30 minutes. Liverpool had demanded an apology from French officials, who incorrectly blamed the fans, while Real Madrid issued a statement on Friday denouncing the issue.
An official statement read: “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. 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, and has today published the for this review.
“The Independent Review, which will be led by Dr Tiago Brandão 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 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.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
