The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), together with the police and authorities, will urgently consider the situation with the unrest around the Champions League final in the suburbs of Paris. This was announced on Saturday, May 28, by the UEFA press service.
“Ahead of the game, the turnstiles were blocked by thousands of fans who bought fake tickets. This led to crowds of fans trying to get inside. As the number of people outside the stadium continued to grow after the start of the game, the police dispersed them with tear gas and forced them to leave the stadium,” the statement said.
The sports organization also expressed sympathy to all those affected by these events. It is noted that UEFA will urgently address these issues together with the French police and authorities, as well as with the French Football Federation.
In addition, the English football club Liverpool demanded an investigation into the riots that occurred near the stadium before the start of the Champions League final against the Spanish Real Madrid.
“We are extremely disappointed with the stadium entry and security perimeter breaches that Liverpool fans have experienced tonight at the [Stade] Stade de France,” the club said in a statement posted on its website.
Representatives of Liverpool called this match the main one in European football, and also stressed that fans should not relive the scenes they faced in the evening.
Earlier in the day, it became known that the match between Real Madrid and Liverpool at the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis (France) had to be postponed by 37 minutes. The final match of the UEFA Champions League was supposed to start at 22:00 Moscow time, but the organizers were forced to delay the start of the game due to riots near the stadium.
According to media reports, some fans encountered security while trying to enter the stadium. People climbed over the fences, ignoring the attempts of the stewards to bring the situation under control.
Ultimately, law enforcement officers were forced to use tear gas.
The riots had no effect on the course of the match. As a result, Real Madrid became the winner of the UEFA Champions League, beating the English Liverpool with a score of 1:0. The goal in the 59th minute was scored by the striker of the Spanish club Vinicius Junior. At the same time, the goal of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema in the 43rd minute was not counted due to offside.
The Madrid club won the Champions League for a record 14th time.
Initially, the League Final was to be held at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, but the UEFA Executive Committee held an extraordinary meeting on February 25 and decided to transfer the game to a neutral field in Paris. The reason for the organizational reshuffle was the special operation of the Russian Federation to protect Donbass and the subsequent aggravation of the situation in Ukraine.