Police chief apologizes for tears of Liverpool fans during Champions League final in Paris | World News
The Paris police chief apologized for tearing away Liverpool fans at the Champions League final, adding that “perhaps I was wrong”.
Some supporters were pepper sprayed and peppered as they tried to enter the Stade de France for Liverpool’s match against Real Madrid.
Speaking at the French Senate on Thursday, police chief Didier Lallement said he regretted authorizing the use of tear gas but felt he had no choice in the situation.
“It’s clearly a failure. It’s a failure because people are pushed and attacked. It’s a failure because the image of the country has been damaged,” Mr. Lallement said.
He offered no evidence to support his widely discredited claim that up to 40,000 supporters without tickets or with fake tickets attempted to enter the stadium.
Mr Lallement added: “This number is not scientific but it comes from feedback from police and public transport officials.
“Maybe I’m wrong, but it’s built from all the information gathered.
What really happened at the Stade de France?
“Whether there are 30,000 or 40,000 people, it doesn’t change anything. The important thing is that there are people who, in large numbers, have the potential to disrupt the proper organization of the filter. But we count them precisely. exactly in the 5,000 range, it doesn’t change much.”
Earlier, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin blamed “cheating on an industrial scale” for the chaos, and said thousands of fake tickets had caused the chaos.
Liverpool FC have called for an investigation after their supporters were subjected to violence and in response, European football’s governing body has appointed Portuguese politician Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues to make an investigation.
There have been suggestions that Mr Rodrigues is in contact with UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin and Liverpool are understood to be keen to determine his independence and the scope of his review.
Club officials will now meet with Mr Rodrigues to help satisfy himself as the process will be completely independent.
