Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan has shared his disappointment at the 'narrative set' against Reds fans who attended the Champions League final in Paris at the end of May. The game at the Stade de France was delayed by 30 minutes and it soon became apparent supporters in attendance were being treated horrendously.
After weeks of lies, Liverpool have had apologies off French ministers who claimed the trouble outside of the ground was down to fans with fake tickets turning up and trying to force their way into the stadium.
Over 9,000 Liverpool fans submitted testimonies about their time in Paris to aid with the investigation that was ongoing around the treatment of supporters. The club have also set up mental health support for those fans who have been scarred by the events that took place in the French capital.
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In his latest update to supporters on Thursday, Hogan said: "I guess maybe going back to a couple of weeks ago, I think the initial comments and the narrative frankly never should have happened. Senior and influential folks who were being interviewed or were testifying in certain cases making comments that were just unhelpful.
"I said at the time, it was not the time to be making statements like that, it was the time to take a step back and try to understand what exactly happened first. So you're right, they have apologised to Liverpool fans but obviously it was really disappointing to see that narrative set and to some degree there's been some articles clearly [where] it still frankly exists.
"So, we did take the time to fully translate and digest the French Prime Minister's 30-page report and the findings in the report, which I think from our perspective really demonstrate the need for that thorough and independent investigation – which we've been talking about. I think probably most importantly, the report does not apportion blame to Liverpool fans for what happened on the night at the Stade de France – I think that is important.
"But there's a lot of information, a lot of statements, a lot of data and, again, I think all of that just emphasises the need to ensure that we take our time and a thorough review in ensuring that we understand and investigate exactly what happened. So, we want to make sure that all of the statements, whatever data, is backed up by hard evidence.
"I guess I will say that there were specifically five recommendations at the conclusion of the report and we do feel that those cover some of the right areas for improvement. So, I think we're going to be focused really on UEFA's independent investigation and how we ensure that some of those measures are clearly taken into account.
"I guess maybe the last thing is maybe just to make note of, people probably would have been seen this, but we're aware that there is going to be a report published next week – the date we've been given is July 13 – from the French Senate, so obviously we'll be waiting to see what that report entails as well."
There was an overwhelming response from Liverpool fans after the club asked for testimonies from those who made the trip to Paris. Hogan has issued an explanation on what will happen next.
"Yes, that's right, we had actually over 9,000 testimonies from supporters, as you mentioned. Again, one of the things that we did do was we sent out a note to thank everyone and I know that in certain cases it would have been particularly difficult to kind of relieve that experience and put that experience down into written form. So again, thank you for doing that.
"What next? So we have an internal team here that's actually going through all of the details, reading, analysing all the accounts, so that we can identify really any key themes or common issues that will help us understand more about what happened on the night. Having read some of the testimonies, we're actually proactively contacting some fans who we think may need some additional support and connecting them with specialists who can provide.
"And we will also, of course, offer those testimonies, provided that people are happy for us to do that, so we'll make sure that we seek permission. But we'll be happy to provide that in strict confidence to Dr Rodrigues as part of the independent review to help get a collective picture of that experience from a fans' perspective, which we think is critical. Maybe kind of the most important thing is that we now have all of those first-hand experiences and clear evidence of what happened, so we can make sure that what happened never happens again."
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