Liverpool fans have finally received an apology for the French authorities' treatment of them during the chaotic events which marred Saturday's Champions League final in Paris.
But Reds supporters were still shockingly blamed for causing the use of tear gas, as France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin expressed regret over the incident at a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday. Jurgen Klopp 's side were beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid at the Stade de France after kick-off was delayed three times for what UEFA claims was due to issues with fake tickets.
Emmanuel Macron had urged the French government to investigate the situation with "full transparency." Darmanin admitted that the event - which he says "between 109,000 and 117,000" people were in the vicinity of - could have been handled better, but claimed police were braced for trouble because "the people of Liverpool pose public order problems."
"Clearly things could have been organised better," Darmanin stated as he was questioned by French senators. "It is evident that this celebration of sport was ruined and we very much regret the troubles which were sometimes unacceptable. I am very sincerely sorry for that disproportionate use and sanctions will be taken against the officers involved.
"It is clear - all the security services notes say so - that the people of Liverpool pose public order problems. Not all its supporters, but a small part of its supporters," Darmanin declared, adding that two cases regarding the possible "disproportionate" use of force outside the stadium have been referred to the French police watchdog.
Liverpool have demanded an apology for France's Sports Minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, after thousands of supporters were squeezed through caged entry points and forced to queue for hours in a situation which quickly became dangerous. After receiving more than 5,000 complaints within 24 hours of the incident, the club have set up a mechanism for fans to tell their stories, with children being caught up in the chaos and, even more distressingly, tear-gassed.
Despite the apology, Darmanin insisted that Reds supporters must take the blame, as Oueda-Castera claimed: "There were attacks against police and stewards on an unprecedented scale." Darmanin also claimed: "For the Coupe de France final there was the same police, same stadium workers, same minister of the interior even. The difference here was the behaviour of fans."
He additionally claimed that the 2019 Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at the Wanda Metropolitano saw "the exact same problems." "There is no doubt we should have anticipated it, I'll say that," Darmanin acknowledged. "The same difficulties with fake tickets and people outside the stadium."
Oueda-Castera pitied the spectators who purchased legitimate tickets but missed out on the occasion, with UEFA promising to compensate them. "We are sorry about the inconvenience that might have been caused to the 22,000 who had perfectly valid tickets," she said. "2,700 tickets were never activated... I will speak to the UK minister of sports next week."
