MY ACCOUNT
The level of disorganisation at the Champions League final was unprecedented, according to the president of the local authority of Seine-Saint-Denis.
Saturday’s final between Real Madrid and Liverpool was delayed twice as thousands of fans found themselves unable to gain access to the Stade de France in Paris.
UEFA initially blamed the disruption on Liverpool fans using counterfeit tickets, with the French interior minister supporting such claims, but widespread reports of police using tear gas and pepper spray on orderly supporters have led to calls for an investigation.
Merseyside Police praised the “exemplary” behaviour of most Liverpool fans in a statement released on Sunday, while Reds supporters group Spirit of Shankly hit out at the “incompetence” of organisers.
Stephane Troussel has now reinforced the claims for a thorough investigation into the incident, which he does not want to be pinned on Seine-Saint-Denis or the people who live there.
“I do not want the Seine-Saint-Denis and its inhabitants to be the scapegoats of this disorganisation,” the the president of the local authority of Seine-Saint-Denis told French Info on Monday, as reported by RMC Sport.
“I have never seen such disorganisation around the Stade de France. This is not the first time that there have been major events around the Stade de France.
“The Stade de France has existed in Saint-Denis for 24 years and this is the third Champions League final to be held there, and I have never seen such a level of disorganisation.
“I am very angry, I do not want Seine-Saint-Denis and its inhabitants to be the scapegoats for this disorganisation. I demand a rapid, transparent, in-depth investigation into these dysfunctions, this disorganisation.
“There has to be transparency. What happened? What happened to the absence of pre-filtering [the crowd].”
Troussel also questioned why printed tickets were issued for the final, enhancing the possibility of counterfeit tickets.
He added: “Nobody seems surprised to find out since UEFA itself was not in favour of issuing printed tickets. If this provision had been favoured, it was because there was a risk linked to these [printed tickets] – fakes.
“Never have I seen so many spectators around the Stade de France a few minutes before kick-off. When I managed to enter, we had the feeling that the stadium was already full.”
Troussel also called for the French police to clarify how many officers were in attendance and where they were stationed.
“I also ask for transparency on the police personnel who were deployed around the Stade de France,” he said.
“I would like to know how they were distributed around the Stade de France. We need precise figures.”
