The British Secretary of State for Culture and Sport, Nadine Dorries, asked UEFA on Sunday for an “official investigation” into the causes of the incidents which surrounded the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real. Madrid, Saturday.
“The images and stories from Liverpool supporters and the media about their entry into the Stade de France last night are deeply disturbing,” said the Secretary of State in a statement. “Thousands of ticket holders traveled on time to support their team in the biggest game of the season,” she added.
It refers to the first declarations of UEFA which had justified the postponement of the kick-off by half an hour by the “late arrival” of certain supporters. “I urge UEFA to launch a formal investigation to find out what went wrong and why, in cooperation with stadium staff, the French police, the French football federation, the police in Merseyside (the region of Liverpool) and Liverpool FC”, announced Ms. Dorries again.
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“It is in the interest of all those involved to understand what happened and to learn from these events,” the official concluded.
Many testimonies from journalists on site had reported very early on organizational problems creating a huge delay in the entry of English supporters into the stands. The French government had mentioned “thousands of British supporters, without tickets or with fake tickets (who) forced entry”, while the police made extensive use of tear gas around the enclosure.
Liverpool fans attributed the attempted break-ins to young people living near the stadium, claiming they were also robbed and assaulted after the game.
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