SAccording to information from our colleagues at RMC Sport, at least 2,800 counterfeit tickets were scanned by the machines responsible for authorizing or denying entry to the Stade de France. An assessment confirmed by Agence France-Presse, which interviewed sources familiar with the matter. All of these tickets were presented at the gates dedicated to British supporters. Monday, May 30, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced that “30,000 to 40,000 counterfeit notes” had been spotted, without providing any factual elements to corroborate this estimate.
For the first time, it is therefore possible to assess the extent of the fraud in terms of counterfeit tickets that circulated during this Champions League final. “This figure, real because verified by the scans, is very significantly higher than what generally happens on this type of event, where a few hundred counterfeit tickets at most are identified”, points out RMC Sport.
The 2,800 “counterfeit notes scanned”, according to sources familiar with the matter, are a figure “to be taken with caution”, according to Me Barthélémy, lawyer for groups of French supporters and present at the match on Saturday evening. “E-tickets had to be activated, and there were breakdowns, computer bugs at the gates which caused some real tickets to be scanned as fake,” he explains. “I want as proof the testimony of Robertson, the Liverpool player, who offered official tickets to relatives. Once at the turnstiles, they were told that these tickets were fake, ”recalled Pierre Barthélémy.
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Two ministers heard on Wednesday
On the other hand, Agence France-Presse had revealed, earlier this Tuesday, that the authorities had been warned of a risk of excesses by the National Division for the Fight against Hooliganism (DNLH). This warned against the presence of “about 50,000 English supporters […] who will not be ticket holders. “Some of them”, it is written in this document widely distributed in the police services, “will be in possession of counterfeit tickets and will try to use them to gain access to the stadium”.
After the excesses on the sidelines of the final of this queen competition on the European continent, the sporting affair has become political. Indeed, most French opposition parties have called for the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry. In parallel, Gérald Darmanin – for the Interior – and Amélie Oudéa-Castera – for Sports – must be auditioned this Wednesday 1er June by the Law and Culture Commissions. Goal for senators? Ensuring that the state has learned the lessons of this evening, a few months before the Rugby World Cup and two years before the 2024 Olympics.
At the same time, UEFA announced on Monday the opening of an “independent” investigation to shed light on these events. In addition, London has been rebelling since the first hours of this controversy against the accusations of the French government targeting Liverpool supporters. On the other side of the Channel, only the system put in place by the Paris police headquarters is in question.
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The Liverpool club asks for an apology
In a letter addressed to the Minister and published by the daily Echo of Liverpool, Tom Werner – chairman of the Liverpool club – expressed his “utter disbelief” that Minister Oudéa-Castera could make “a series of unproven statements on a subject of such importance”, before even holding an independent investigation.
“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 “frightened” supporters and denouncing “a strategy seeking to attribute blame others through a press conference”. “On behalf of all the fans who have experienced this nightmare, I ask for an apology from you, and assurances that the French authorities and UEFA will allow an independent and transparent investigation to take place.”
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