Tom Werner says his letter to the French government was sent in "utter disbelief" after Liverpool fans were subjected to tear gas attacks from riot police outside the Stade de France on Saturday night.
The Reds chairman has sent a correspondence to the sports minister of France, Amelie Oudea-Costera, after comments made on Monday that suggested 'British fans' were the root cause of the unrest outside the ground ahead of the Champions League final.
The ECHO has obtained the letter sent from the Boston-based Liverpool chairman in which he outlines his immense frustration and disappointment at how events unfolded for the club's followers in Paris over the weekend.
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In the powerful letter, Fenway Sports Group chief Mr Werner writes:
Dear Minister,
I am writing to you today out of utter disbelief that a Minister of the French Government, a position of enormous responsibility and influence, could make a series of unproven pronouncements on a matter of such significance before a proper, formal, independent investigation process has even taken place.
The events that occurred in and around the Stade de France on Saturday night at the UEFA Champions League Final were not only incredibly dangerous for all who attended, but raised serious questions about the organization and operation of the event. This should be the focus of all interested parties today rather than pursuing a blame game strategy via press conference.
I have received countless emails from Liverpool supporters who were frightened to death, and subject to police harassment, pepper spray and tear gas. Moreover, the situation was no better at the end of the evening than at the beginning, with many fans robbed, and attacked by gangs.
It was clear that fans were forced to go through a gauntlet, spending more than 2 hours in queues. One person said they were “trapped against the gates, nobody was moving, and nobody on the other side of the gates was communicating at all.” These fans were treated like cattle.
How can loose data and unverified assertions presented this morning be anywhere near factual without a truly independent and transparent investigation with the right stakeholders including our supporters, our club and others taking place. Worse still, these assertions undermine the pursuit of truth and transparency which should underpin the motivations of any organization or individual with a desire to ensure such unacceptable scenes are never repeated.
The fact that your public position went against this objective is a concern in itself. That you did so without any recourse to ourselves or our supporters is an even greater one. All voices should count in this process, and they should count equally and fairly.
As a Club, it was already our strong feeling that any investigation should be impartial, independent, and transparent. This view has only intensified as a direct result of your public comments and the impact they have had on a narrative which runs contrary to the experiences of many. Your comments were irresponsible, unprofessional, and wholly disrespectful to the thousands of fans harmed physically and emotionally.
UEFA Champions League Final should be one of the finest spectacles in world sport, and instead it devolved into one of the worst security collapses in recent memory. On behalf of all the fans who experienced this nightmare I demand an apology from you, and assurance that the French Authorities and UEFA allow an independent and transparent investigation to proceed.
Regards,
Tom Werner
Chairman
