The Government, supported by Labour and all UK political parties, should be asking for a “full apology” from the French Government over the treatment of Liverpool fans in Paris at the Champions League Final, according to the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
The Liverpool-born Labour politician, a key political figure in the Hillsborough justice campaign, has suggested political pressure now needs to grow to ensure those responsible for Saturday’s distressing scenes are held to account. In the days following the event, the French authorities have sought to deflect responsibility and shift blame onto the behaviour of Liverpool fans who were subjected to bottlenecks in an underpass, tear gassed and mugged when leaving the stadium.
In a hearing before the French senate on Wednesday afternoon, French interior minister Gerald Darmanin continued to suggest that fans with fake tickets were the causes for issues outside of the Stade de France. He initially suggested that 30-40,000 ticketless fans tried to gain entry to the stadium, but this was rolled back to the region of 3000 when speaking before the senate.
READ MORE: Blame should be laid 'where it belongs' after Liverpool fan slurs
French sports minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, also spoke at the hearing and apologised for the scenes many fans experienced. However she also suggested that Liverpool fans posed a “very specific risk” when it was confirmed that they would be travelling to the city for the final - a remark that caused outrage among fans and numerous journalists.
UEFA is currently conducting its own independent investigation into what happened at the match, but no apology has been offered to fans despite the significant amount of evidence which suggests they did not cause the issues which took place. Andy Burnham is now calling on the UK Government and all political parties to push for a “full apology” from the French Government.
Writing on Twitter, Mr Burnham said: “I think the UK Government, supported by all political parties, should be asking the French Government for a full apology for the appalling treatment of men, women and children doing no more than trying to watch a game of football.”
Mr Burnham also suggested a full apology was necessary for “the subsequent lies that have been told” following the events, where the French authorities have sought to pin the blame on Liverpool fans outside of the stadium. A few days earlier, Mr Burnham also noted how when attending an Everton game in Lille in 2014 French riot police were “out of control'' and that English Football fans now need to “stand together” on the issue.
On the night of the Champions League Final, French authorities and UEFA said late arrival of fans to the ground caused the issues, but this story has changed to claims about fake tickets in the days after.
Despite suggestions the trouble was restricted to the Liverpool end of the stadium, there have been a number of reports which showed there were similar experiences for Real Madrid fans. The Spanish club have now put out their own statement asking for answers from the relevant authorities over what took place at the showpiece event, adding that many of their own fans were assaulted, harassed and robbed.
