Sports

‘Clearly a failure’: Paris police apologize for tearful fans at Champions League final


The Paris police chief on Thursday acknowledged the “failure” of security operations for last month’s Champions League final and apologized to tearful supporters as they tried to enter the stadium. . A football show hosted by Paris on May 28 was marred by chaos as Liverpool fans tried to enter the stadium for the match against Real Madrid, raising questions about the possibility of hosting the World Cup. 2024 Olympics of the French capital.

“It’s clearly a failure,” Didier Lallement told a committee investigating the failure in the French Senate. “It was a failure because people were pushed and attacked. It was a failure because the image of the country was damaged.”

He said he was “sorry” for authorizing the use of tear gas to move supporters away from the stadium before the match, but added that there was “no other means” to ease the growing pressure. increase at the gates.

“We need everyone back,” Lallement explains. “We ask everyone to step back, then we use tear gas… that’s the only way we know of moving a mob back, except for a baton attack. “

He encouraged Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters to file a complaint if they are the victim of fake tickets or street crime outside the stadium “so we can find the guilty parties and prosecute them. “

Lallement was also pressed by controversial numbers released by Home Secretary Gerald Darmanin, who blamed the mayor’s presence of 30-40,000 supporters without tickets or fake tickets for the chaos. at the stadium and slow down the game.

The police chief said he was responsible for the number, and that he relied on numbers given by transport operators in Paris and “feedback” from officers on the ground.

“Perhaps I was mistaken with the number I gave the minister,” he said. “I’ve never claimed that it’s completely accurate.”

He acknowledged that there were not 30-40,000 people “at the stadium gates” but maintained that there were many thousands in the vicinity.

These statements have angered Liverpool supporters, as well as senior British politicians, who have accused France of unfairly trying to brush off the blame from the police.

Promote

Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram is due to testify before a Senate committee later on Thursday.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from the syndication feed.)

Topics covered in this article



Source link

news7g

News7g: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button