Champions League final: UEFA apologises to fans for 'frightening and distressing' scenes at Stade de France - as terms of review revealed
The final "should have been a celebration of European club football", says UEFA, whose review will look at what went wrong, who's to blame, and why the match turned into a nightmare for many.
Friday 3 June 2022 20:21, UK
UEFA has apologised to fans for the violence before last week's Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris.
European football's governing body said they shouldn't have had to "experience or witness frightening and distressing events" in the build-up to the game.
"No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again," UEFA said.
The chaos outside the stadium was widely condemned in the UK, and earlier today Real Madrid came out to urge authorities to .
Liverpool lost 1-0 to Real in Saturday's match, which saw some Reds fans pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed as they tried to get into the stadium.
France's interior minister claimed the problems stemmed from thousands of Liverpool supporters with fake tickets.
The kick-off to the world's most famous club match was delayed due to the mayhem.
UEFA announced an independent review earlier this week and has now .
It said it would "identify shortcomings and responsibilities of all entities involved in the organisation of the final".
"A full picture and timeline of what occurred during the day, both within the stadium and the surrounding areas" will be established, including "spectator flows to the stadium via the various access points".
Security, mobility and ticketing plans will be examined, as will how prepared authorities were to stage the final - including arrangements for the fan meeting points.
Supporters' groups, both football clubs, the police, the French Football Federation, the stadium operator and other authorities will be consulted.
Merseyside Police observers said the majority of supporters waiting to get in the stadium behaved in an "exemplary" manner that did not justify the police's heavy-handed tactics.
Read more:
What actually happened at the Stade de France?
'French police were heavy-handed with absolutely zero tolerance'
Liverpool FC, the city's mayor and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries had all called for UEFA to investigate.
On Friday, Real Madrid also said its fans were "victims" of the "unfortunate events" in Paris.
It said many were "violently assaulted, harassed and robbed" and "some of them even had to spend the night in hospital".
It described the scenes as causing "deep outrage around the world".
An email address and online questionnaire will be set up so people affected can share their views with the review.
It will start immediately and is being led by Portugal's former education minister, Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues.