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France 24
France 24
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Blame game: What went wrong at the Stade de France?

THE DEBATE © FRANCE 24

First it was a stadium fiasco, then a blame game. Now will political football lead to sackings? French senators are questioning Emmanuel Macron's interior minister after the tear-gassing of Liverpool fans shut out of last Saturday's Champions League final, as well as the claim that up to 40,000 English supporters showed up with forged tickets or no tickets.

We hear Gérald Darmanin's explanation and ask whether the former chief of staff to Nicolas Sarkozy is ripe for the chop.

His boss is reportedly furious. But it is not the French president's style to act on impulse, particularly in the homestretch of a legislative election campaign. The stakes are high for Macron because it was on his watch that France secured the rights to host next year's Rugby World Cup and the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Tough questions abound: Could a transport strike on match day have been better anticipated? Was there a staffing issue? Was there a ticketing issue? Did police overreact? Are French authorities behind the times on crowd control at football matches? Why not start with a proper apology?

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain and Guillaume Gougeon.

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