Liverpool Football Club chairman Tom Werner has demanded an apology from the French government for blaming Reds fans for the chaotic scenes in the Champions League final at the Stade de France.
Fiasco at the Stade de France
Jostling, attempted intrusion by individuals without a ticket, supporters – including children – in shock at the intervention of the police or victims of theft… The prestigious European final, hosted in Paris and won on Saturday by Real Madrid against Liverpool (1-0), was marked by scenes of chaos and disorganization around the Dionysian enclosure, without causing serious injuries.
French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera accused the Liverpool club on Monday of having “left its supporters in the wild”, unlike Real Madrid, which accompanied its supporters from start to finish.
The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin then rejected the entire responsibility for the troubles on the English supporters, and welcomed the strategy operated by the French police.
“Irresponsible, unprofessional and disrespectful comments”
In a letter addressed to the Minister and published by the daily Echo of Liverpool, Tom Werner expressed his “total disbelief” that Minister Oudéa-Castera could make “a series of unproven statements on a subject of such importance”, even before an investigation was held independent.
“Your comments are irresponsible, unprofessional and totally disrespectful of the thousands of physically and emotionally hurt fans,” he added, saying he had received countless emails from “scared to death” supporters and denouncing “a strategy seeking to attribute blame others through a press conference”.
France advances the thesis of massive counterfeit banknote fraud
The French authorities have also blamed a “massive fraud” of counterfeit tickets from Liverpool supporters, a version that leaves skeptics across the Channel.
“On behalf of all the fans who have experienced this nightmare, I ask for an apology from you, and an assurance that the French authorities and UEFA will allow an independent and transparent investigation to take place,” Tom also wrote. Werner.