UEFA apologized “sincerely to all the spectators who had to experience or witness terrifying and distressing events” in the Champions League final and assured that it is investigating the events to “ensure that they do not happen again”.
The body published this Friday the terms of reference for the independent review that it has commissioned “immediately after the events, to identify the deficiencies and responsibilities of all the entities involved in the organization of the final” and that “It must be concluded in the shortest possible time”.
“No football fan should be in that situation, and it should not happen again”, he assured in a statement, hours after Madrid asked for explanations” for the “unfortunate” incidents of 28 last May at the Saint Denis stadium in Paris, where the The white club won its fourteenth title by defeating English Liverpool 1-0.
UEFA recalled that the independent review, which will be led by the Portuguese Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, “aims to understand what happened before the final, and determine what lessons must be learned to ensure that the actions and events are not repeated of that day”.
“The Review will try to establish a complete picture and a chronology of what happened during the day, both inside the stadium and in its surroundings, including the analysis of the flows of viewers to the stadium through the different access points”, he adds.
According to UEFA, it will also examine all relevant operational plans related to security, mobility and ticketing, as well as other at the discretion of the person in charge of the Review, together with the planning and preparation of the entities involved for the celebration of the final, including in additional places such as the meeting points of the fans of the finalists.
“ The objective of the Independent Review is to identify any problem or gap in the implementation and functioning of the operations and to evaluate the functions and responsibilities of all the entities involved and the adequacy of their response to the events, in order to make recommendations on best practices. for the future for UEFA and stakeholders”, UEFA said.
This report will include all interested parties, “including, but not limited to, To this end, fan groups, including Football Supporters Europe, as well as those of the two finalist clubs, the finalist clubs themselves, general spectators, the French Football Federation, the Police and other national and local public authorities, and the operator of the stadium”.
According to what he specified, he will shortly communicate more information on how interested parties can present their testimonies (through a specific email address or an online questionnaire).
The Review, announced by UEFA last 30 May, will start immediately and It must be concluded in the shortest time possible to produce a complete review of the facts and once the report is completed, and in the interests of transparency, it will be published on its website (www.uefa.com).
Last day’s final 28 delayed its start for more than half an hour due to the withholdings at the entrance of the stadium, since, according to the French authorities, 35.000 People went to the venue without tickets or with false seats and disturbed public order by blocking the doors and preventing access to fans with legal seats.
During the incidents, the security forces used tear gas to try to disperse the crowd and the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, stated in the Senate that some 110.000 people showed up at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, when there was only 75. tickets.
It was also announced that Spanish and British fans who were victims of robberies or assaults during the incidents will be able to file complaints from their countries at the French embassies.
2022