“The commission concluded that UEFA, as the owner of the event, is primarily responsible for the failures that almost led to the disaster. It is remarkable that no one lost their lives,” the AP agency quotes from a comprehensive report.
The match at the Stade de France started more than half an hour late last May due to problems outside the stadium, where thousands of fans were delayed. According to footage from the scene, French police used tear gas in a tense situation. According to UEFA’s statement at the time, a number of Liverpool supporters tried to get in with fake tickets, causing chaos. But the investigation did not confirm this.
UEFA apologized for the situation for the first time last June, after Liverpool and Real Madrid complained about the events before the match, which ended up winning the match 1:0. It then entrusted the investigation to an independent commission led by the Portuguese Tiago Brandao. She published 220 pages of her report today.
“On behalf of UEFA, I would like to once again offer my sincerest apologies to all those affected by the events that took place during what was supposed to be a celebration of the club’s peak season,” UEFA’s Theodoridis said in a statement. “In particular, I would like to apologize to Liverpool FC fans for what many of them experienced when they arrived at the game and for the information published before and during the game that unfairly blamed them for the situation leading to the delayed kick-off,” he added.
