 Stade de France, host venue for the final | |
| Date | 28 May 2022 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Stade de France |
| Location | Saint-Denis, France |
| Organised by | UEFA |
| Non-fatal injuries | ≈ 238 |
| Arrests | 68 |
| Accused | Liverpool supporters, Paris Police Prefecture, UEFA |
Prior to the 2022 UEFA Champions League final between English team Liverpool and Spanish team Real Madrid on the evening of 28 May 2022, crowd control descended into chaos at the entrances to the Stade de France in the suburb of Saint-Denis, France.
With a large build-up of fans around the stadium unable to gain access to the stadium in the hours prior to the scheduled kick-off time of 21:00 CEST, French police used tear gas and pepper spray on Liverpool fans. These actions were later defended by organisers UEFA and several French political figures, who accused supporters of Liverpool, of whom tens of thousands had travelled to the city, of disorderly conduct, including attempting to gain access to the stadium with counterfeit tickets and penetrating the stadium illegally. This led to the game beginning 36 minutes behind schedule, and resulted in dozens of arrests and hundreds of injuries.
Several supporters, journalists, and political figures disputed the initial story of fan disorder. They accused the organisers and security of major disorganisation and unpreparedness. A full enquiry was commissioned by UEFA. The report, which was published on 13 February 2023, stated that UEFA bore primary responsibility for the organisational and safety failures in the run-up to the match. The report criticised both the organisation and the French police, and rejected claims by both that only ticketless fans were to blame for the chaos. The report stated that there was insufficient evidence for asserting the validity of such claims, and that with these claims both UEFA and French authorities made 'a reprehensible attempt to avoid responsibility'.[1]
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