Paris, May 30, (dpa/GNA) – French sports minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, has blamed English fans for the security problems around the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Oudéa-Castéra told RTL radio ahead of a crisis meeting Monday, that there were 30,000 to 40,000 Liverpool fans “without tickets, or with fake tickets” for the game at the Stade de France.
Oudéa-Castéra said it must be cleared up where a large number of fake tickets came from.
She said she regretted that tear gas used by police on the night also impacted families and children, and acknowledged that local youths also tried to get in without tickets.
Oudéa-Castéra also accused Liverpool of not looking after their fans, in the same way as Real Madrid did.
She insisted that France is capable of organizing big sports events, citing the Euro 2016 tournament. She also said lessons must be learnt from Saturday’s events, looking ahead to next year’s Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
France and Europe’s football body UEFA has come under attack over Saturday’s incidents, which also led to the game starting 37 minutes late.
Liverpool has denied wrongdoing and requested a formal investigation, into what caused these “unacceptable issues,” with club CEO Billy Hogan naming the treatment of fans “absolutely unacceptable.”
Liverpool players said their families also had problems getting into the stadium, and British Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries, has urged UEFA to investigate what went wrong.
Oudéa-Castéra was set to attend Monday’s meeting, together with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, with police and match organizers also present.
UEFA on the night first blamed the problems on security issues, then on the late arrival of fans, then on fans with fake tickets.
GNA