UEFA apologises to Real Madrid and Liverpool fans for events before Champions League final

UEFA, the governing body of European football, has launched an independent review of the events leading up to the Champions League final. It did so after receiving complaints from both Liverpool and Real Madrid.

The incident before the final match of the LM will have a follow-up

UEFA has issued a belated apology to fans caught up in a riot outside the Stade de France ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final. Kickoff in Paris was delayed because thousands of spectators were unable to get inside amid chaotic scenes at the stadium gates.

Some supporters, including children and fans with valid tickets, were also hit by tear gas and pepper spray used by police. This sparked a wave of criticism across the world media and the entire fan community.

UEFA issued a statement apologising to all the fans affected

“UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to all spectators who had to experience or witness the horrific and disheartening events in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France on 28 May 2022 in Paris,” the organisation said in a statement on its website.

“No football fan should be put in such a situation and it must not happen again,” the statement added. “Especially on a night that was supposed to be a celebration of football,” UEFA added.

UEFA also confirmed that it had ordered a full investigation into the events of the final day and hoped to find out what went wrong during the organisation of Europe’s biggest club match.

UEFA continued to respond to complaints from both clubs involved, launching an independent review into the incident

Both Liverpool and Real Madrid have lodged complaints about the incidents. With the Spanish club pressing European football’s governing committee to get answers from the club’s fans as to what actually happened. In addition, Real Madrid demanded that the authorities responsible for organising the match be held fully accountable.

“UEFA has launched an independent review to identify the shortcomings and responsibilities of all the bodies involved in the organisation of the final and today published the terms of reference for this review,” in response to the complaints from both clubs.

“The independent review, which will be led by Dr Tiago Brandão Rodrigues from Portugal, aims to understand what happened during the build-up to the final and identify what lessons need to be learned to ensure that such events do not happen again in the future,” the organisation added in a statement.

Source: UEFA