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Associated Press
- June 3, 2022 17:42
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Real Madrid said on Friday it wanted an explanation for the chaos that left its fans "abandoned and defenseless" in the Champions League final. The club's call for answers came six days after trouble broke out outside the Stade de France on the outskirts of Paris, where Real Madrid won the European title by beating Liverpool 1-0.
"We call for answers and explanations in order to determine those responsible for leaving fans abandoned and defenseless," Real Madrid said in a statement. "The fans who in general showed exemplary behavior at all times."
The Spanish club questioned the decision to choose suburban Paris as a replacement for the Russian city of St Petersburg, which was originally scheduled to host the final before Russia invaded Ukraine.
"We would like to know the reasons that led to the choice of this place to host the final and the criteria used, taking into account the experiences of the day," Real Madrid said.
Liverpool have already complained about those involved in organizing the event immediately after the final. Most of the attention at the time went to the stadium access problems faced by the English club's fans, but there were later reports of similar problems for Real supporters as well. The Spanish club announced that it is upset by the violence that took place outside the stadium after the match. He said that "what should have been a wonderful festival of football" for fans "quickly turned into a series of unfortunate events that have caused a sense of outrage around the world".
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Real wants answers to the chaos in the final
Real cited "revealing images" published by the media that showed some supporters "being violently assaulted, harassed and robbed."
"These occurrences continued as they moved in their cars or buses, causing concern for their physical well-being. Some fans even had to spend the night in the hospital as a result of their injuries."
Authorities said the post-match problems occurred because police officers were moved closer to the stadium gates to help disperse fans, leaving other areas unattended.
Liverpool said they have collected more than 5,000 testimonials from supporters who traveled to France. The club's chief executive Billy Hogan said he was "horrified at the way some men, women, children - able bodied, less able - have been treated indiscriminately".
Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal added that it was "quite a big mess" for his club's fans and that security was not provided for fans or players' relatives before and after the match.
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The chaos of the Champions League final in Paris has left trauma even after a year
According to the French Football Federation (FFF), 35,000 people without tickets or with "fake" tickets made their way to the Stade de France, creating chaos and blocking entry to the stadium, which prevented fans with genuine tickets. to enter. European football's governing body, UEFA, has also begun gathering evidence into the issues that took place outside the Stade de France that marred one of the world's biggest sporting events.
"Football has transmitted to the world an image that is far from the values and goals it should follow", continued the Real Madrid statement. "Our fans and supporters deserve an answer and those responsible must be held accountable so that incidents like these disappear from football and sport in general."
