LAUSANNE: UEFA apologized to spectators for the first time on Friday for their “frightening and distressing” experience ahead of the Champions League final, saying no football fan should go through such mayhem.
Thousands of supporters were unable to access European club football’s showpiece match despite having genuine tickets, in chaotic scenes that saw the French police use tear gas at close range even against children.
“UEFA wishes to sincerely apologize to all spectators who had to experience or witness frightening and distressing events in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France on May 28, 2022 in Paris, on a night which should have been a celebration of European club football.
“No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again,” European football’s governing body said in a statement.
Spanish giants Real Madrid beat England’s Liverpool 1-0, but the match was completely overshadowed by the chaos outside the stadium.
Before the game, thousands of Liverpool fans with tickets had to wait for hours to enter the ground, with police using tear gas and pepper spray on the crowds.
Some Liverpool supporters said they feared being crushed after small openings were used to filter the queues.
Many fans from both sides also reported being assaulted and robbed outside the stadium after the match.
The chaos sparked anger in Britain, political uproar in France a fortnight ahead of legislative elections, and raised questions about the French capital’s capability to host the Olympics in 2024.
UEFA has commissioned an independent review led by Portugal’s former government minister Tiago Brandao Rodrigues and aimed at finding the responsibilities and shortcomings of those involved in organizing the final.
“UEFA wishes — and needs — to understand what happened during the course of the day of the final, and determine lessons learnt to ensure there is no repeat of the actions and events of that day,” it said in a statement.
“The review will seek to establish a full picture and timeline of what occurred during the day, both within the stadium and the surrounding areas, including examining spectator flows to the stadium via the various access points,” it said as it published the terms of reference.
The review will go through the security, ticketing and planning for the final and will also look at fan meeting points.
It will engage with UEFA, fan groups, Liverpool and Real Madrid, the French Football Federation (FFF), the police, the stadium operator and other public authorities.
“Further information on how relevant parties can submit their testimonies (via a dedicated email address or an online questionnaire) will be communicated shortly,” UEFA said.
The review will start immediately and be completed in the “shortest possible time-frame” and then set out its findings, conclusions and recommendations.
Once completed, it will be published on UEFA’s website.
France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has faced accusations of lying after he blamed the chaos on massive ticket fraud, and has since admitted that the organization around the final could “clearly” have been better.
The Champions League final kicked off 36 minutes late due to the problems outside.
The review is so far “the only investigation linked to the fans,” Football Supporters Europe executive director Ronan Evain told AFP.
If UEFA’s communications “were not ideal on Saturday... the main thing is that it is there, and putting the pressure on” Darmanin, the FFF and the Paris police, “so they recognize that the supporters were victims of what happened,” Evain added.
UEFA apologizes to fans over Champions League final chaos
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UEFA apologizes to fans over Champions League final chaos
- Thousands of supporters were unable to access European club football's showpiece match despite having genuine tickets
- "No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again," European football's governing body said
Shakib Al-Hasan shines as MI Emirates down table-toppers Desert Vipers by 4 wickets
- All-round performance helped move the team back to second in the points table
DUBAI: MI Emirates registered a composed four-wicket victory over the table toppers Desert Vipers to seal their third straight win in the DP World ILT20 Season 4 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. After a disciplined bowling performance in the first innings, MI Emirates overcame early pressure before Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al-Hasan guided the team to victory.
The Desert Vipers managed to score 124 courtesy of Dan Lawrence’s gritty 35 off 34 balls, but MI Emirates navigated a tricky chase with relative ease. With the ball, spinner Al-Hasan’s two wickets for 14 runs led the charge and kept the Vipers in check, before Zahoor Khan’s death bowling ensured the total remained below par.
In reply, MI Emirates stumbled in the powerplay and lost momentum in the middle overs, but Pollard’s 26 off 15 balls flipped the contest decisively. Even after his dismissal, Al-Hasan held firm to see the chase through, striking the winning boundary to complete a controlled four-wicket win with 15 balls to spare.
MI Emirates endured a slow powerplay as the Vipers applied sustained pressure. David Payne set the tone early, removing Jonny Bairstow (5 off 5), while Lockie Ferguson struck to dismiss Muhammad Waseem (18 off 13). They finished the powerplay with 35/2 on the board.
The batting side lost momentum through the middle overs as the Vipers bowlers tightened the screws. Nicholas Pooran (17 off 17) mounted a brief counterattack with two sixes but was trapped LBW by Lawrence. Wickets fell at regular intervals, including Tom Banton (10 off 10) being bowled by a sharp Qais Ahmad delivery.
Then, skipper Pollard swung the momentum decisively, taking Ahmad apart with a pair of sixes in the 15th over that turned the chase in MI Emirates’ favor. He was eventually dismissed by Matiullah Khan, but Al-Hasan (17* off 25) held his nerve, anchoring the finish before striking the winning boundary off Matiullah to close the chase at 124/6 in 17.3 overs.
In the first innings, the Vipers made a subdued start in the powerplay, as Chris Woakes was excellent up front, conceding just 15 runs from his three overs. Allah Ghazanfar struck the key blow by removing Max Holden (20 off 18). Fakhar Zaman (13 off 13) tried to build momentum, but the lack of boundaries and regular dots ensured the Vipers were restricted to 35/1 after six overs.
MI Emirates tightened their grip through the middle overs as Al-Hasan struck twice in a miserly spell to remove Zaman and Sam Curran (4 off 4), conceding just eight runs in two overs. Arab Gul added to the pressure by dismissing Hasan Nawaz (13 off 19), leaving the Vipers reeling after losing three wickets in as many overs and the score at 54/4 at the halfway mark of their innings.
Lawrence and Jason Roy (14 off 18) showed intent in patches, adding a cautious stand of 42 runs in 40 balls, but boundaries were scarce. Al-Hasan capped an outstanding spell, leaving the Vipers with little impetus. Khan delivered a decisive final over, finishing with two for 17, as regular wickets in the death overs ensured the Vipers were kept in check, leaving MI Emirates a manageable target of 125 to seal the chase.
Al-Hasan said: “It was a surface that suited the spinners, and the focus was on hitting the right areas consistently. I was able to do that today, which was pleasing. I’m glad it helped the team. Batting wasn’t easy on this pitch either. With so many powerful hitters in our lineup, someone needed to play the anchoring role, and I was happy to take on that responsibility to make sure we finished the chase.”
Desert Vipers stand-in skipper Curran commented: “It was another low-scoring game on a tricky surface. The pitch was slow, and facing a side like MI Emirates, who have high-quality spinners with a lot of variation, made it even tougher. Despite that, I thought our bowlers put in a strong effort. With qualification already secured, we chose to rotate the squad, and what happened to Lockie reinforces the importance of managing workloads.”
