Uefa has announced that it will refund Liverpool supporters impacted by the chaos at last season’s Champions League final in Paris.
The encounter between the Merseyside club and Real Madrid at the Stade de France was marred by significant trouble outside the ground, with kick off delayed by more than half-an-hour.
A report comissioned by Uefa found that the governing body bore “primary responsibility” for organisational and safety failings at the final.
The organisation has now confirmed that all 19,618 Liverpool fans who bought tickets from the club’s allocation are eligible for a refund.
“We have taken into account a huge number of views expressed both publicly and privately and we believe we have devised a scheme that is comprehensive and fair,” said Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoridis in a statement.
“We value the input from the Liverpool FC supporter organisations Spirit of Shankly and Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association as well as the open and transparent dialogue throughout this period.
“We recognise the negative experiences of those supporters on the day and with this scheme we will refund fans who had bought tickets and who were the most affected by the difficulties in accessing the stadium.”
Both Uefa and French authorities initially blamed ticketless fans for causing clashes outside the Paris venue, though the report found there was “no evidence” for these “reprehensible” claims.
The report concluded that it was “remarkable” that the chaos had not resulted in the loss of life.
Refunds for supporters who bought tickets via the club will be facilitated by Liverpool.
Some Real Madrid fans who bought tickets via the Spanish capital club, and some spectators who purchased tickets from outside of the allocations given to competing clubs, will also be eligible for a refund.
“Refunds will be available to all fans with tickets for gates A, B, C, X, Y and Z where the most difficult circumstances were reported,” a statement from Uefa outlined. “In addition, all fans who according to the access control data did not enter the stadium before 21:00 CEST (the originally scheduled kick-off time), or who were not able to enter the stadium at all, will be eligible for a refund.
“Finally, Uefa will offer refunds to all fans who purchased accessibility tickets along with those of their accompanying persons.”
