Jurgen Klopp believes Uefa and the French authorities were fortunate that Liverpool supporters did not suffer worse harm as he deemed their treatment at the Champions League final unacceptable and said his side’s defeat by Real Madrid in the Stade de France became “the smallest problem” on a traumatic night.
Liverpool fans were tear-gassed by police and kettled into bottle-necks while some were told their legitimate tickets were fake or found people in their seat. Kick-off was delayed by 36 minutes, with Uefa initially blaming Liverpool supporters for supposedly arriving late, but many still missed the start of the match and some all of it. Elderly, disabled and pregnant fans and children were among those mistreated but there was no loss of life.
Klopp revealed that 47 of his 50 friends and family members at the game had difficulties getting into the ground and called for action to ensure there is no repeat as he questioned why Paris was chosen to host the game after Uefa needed a new venue to replace St Petersburg, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A report commissioned by the French Prime Minister found “systematic failings in the organisation” while Uefa has launched an inquiry into events from 28 May. It is yet to announce its findings.
Klopp was only aware of some of the details and difficulties immediately after the match but said this Friday: “The smallest problem after a game like this is that we lost the game. It says it all. It’s why everyone, the authorities, have to make sure this does not happen again. It was clear where it was [held] was a problem.
“I think in Paris, the authorities would have known about the regional issues there. Anyway, Uefa decided pretty quick that it will be in Paris. There were other cities where it could have been held. I understand that they got the information pretty late [that it was the host venue].
“There are different things to talk about. Some of them I think it makes no sense to talk about because there is an ongoing investigation. There is the other part of what I did know, even if I didn’t know a lot immediately after the game.
“But a situation outside [the ground]? I heard first-hand from my family because they were in the middle of everything. They texted me before the game: ‘We are in, good luck.’ Stuff like this, but they were pretty much one-and-a-half hours away from being in the stadium.
“What happened to them happened to everyone, pretty much. Two or three people I spoke to were lucky, they got in and were waiting. Then there were all the issues through the game. People sitting on seats next to them [that weren’t theirs]. They were looking: ‘What are you doing here?’
“There was not one Liverpool supporter in the wrong spot. There were a lot of spots occupied definitely by people without tickets, but they were not Liverpool supporters.
“This is pretty much the story everyone told, everyone had this experience. I think I knew 50 people inside the stadium; 47 people told me exactly the same story. That is what I heard. That is obviously not how it should be. In the end, it felt for them – and they are passionate Liverpudlians – that the smallest problem we had that night was that we lost the game. Imagine that around the Champions League final. Crazy.”
Klopp sympathises with supporters whose abiding memories of a season when Liverpool won two trophies and came close to an unprecedented quadruple was of the chaotic scenes in Paris, some of whom have said they will not attend future Champions League finals.
“I understand that, I understand it absolutely,” he said. “For me, it’s not the last memory of the season, to be honest. Mine is the bus tour [the parade of Liverpool the following day], which was outstanding. But I was not outside the stadium, trying to get in.”
