Merseyside's only Conservative MP has slammed French authorities for presiding over 'terrifying' scenes at the Champions League Final and said he will push for full answers on the chaos that took place.
Damien Moore, MP for Southport, said that the severity of the complaints he has received from constituents have led to him making 'urgent contact' with relevant authorities to demand answers and ensure those responsible are held to account. Thousands of Liverpool fans were forced into dangerous crushes before the final at the Stade de France in May and hundreds were attacked and robbed by local gangs in Paris.
Liverpool fans were left shaken and furious not just at their treatment around the time of the final, but by desperate attempts by both UEFA and French ministers to try and blame them for the problems that occurred with false statements around supporters arriving late or huge numbers of Reds fans turning up with fake tickets. UEFA has apologised to fans and is currently carrying out an investigation into the situation.
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Mr Moore, who has represented Southport since 2017, said he has been alarmed at the first-hand accounts and experiences of his constituents who attended the final in Paris. He said: "The scenes we saw at the Stade de France were completely unacceptable. I am furious with those whose responsibility it was to organise the event and ensure the safety of those who, at considerable personal expense, sought to attend.
“I recently met with a number of constituents in Southport who attended the final and were caught up in the chaos, and whose accounts of the day are quite frankly terrifying. It is unacceptable that the French authorities seem to have wanted to lay the blame solely at the feet of innocent Liverpool fans, such as my constituents."
He said the severity of the complaints he has heard have led him to make urgent contact with a range of national and international bodies, demanding answers and calling for those responsible to be held to account. He said: “I have written to the UK Foreign Secretary, UEFA, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Football, and the International Olympics Committee to request that the investigations into these matters experience no delay, and that the full report is made available to the public for scrutiny.”
Mr Moore has also signed an Early Day Motion in Parliament, tabled by Liverpool fan and West Derby MP Ian Byrne, on the Treatment of Liverpool fans at the 2022 Champions League Final in Paris.
