MADRID, 3 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
UEFA has apologized “sincerely” to all fans who experienced “distressing moments” in the Champions League final, held at the Saint-Denis stadium in Paris last Saturday, a situation that “must not happen again” .
“UEFA would like to sincerely apologize to all the spectators who had to live or witness frightening and harrowing moments in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France on 28 May 2022 in Paris, on a night that should to have been a celebration of European club football,” UEFA said.
“No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again. To that end, immediately after what happened, UEFA commissioned an independent review to identify the deficiencies and responsibilities of all the entities involved in the organization of the final, and today it has published the terms of reference for this review,” adds the body.
It will be led by Dr. Tiago Brandão Rodrigues of Portugal and aims to “understand what happened in the build-up to the final and determine what lessons need to be learned to ensure that the actions and events of that day are not repeated.”
The review will seek to establish a “full picture and timeline of what transpired during the day, both within the stadium and surrounding areas, including examining the flows of spectators into the stadium through the various access points. It will also examine all relevant operational plans related to security, mobility, ticketing, as well as others at the discretion of the review chair.”
In addition, UEFA indicates that “it will examine the planning and preparation of the entities involved for the celebration of the final, including in additional places such as the meeting points for fans of Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF.”
“The independent review aims to identify any problems or gaps in the implementation and execution of operations and assess the roles and responsibilities of all entities involved and the adequacy of their response, in order to make recommendations on best practices for the future of UEFA and relevant stakeholders,” it added in its statement.
“The review will engage with UEFA and all relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to supporter groups, including ‘Football Supporters Europe’, as well as those of the two finalist clubs; the finalist clubs themselves; general spectators; the Federation Francesa de Fútbol; the Police and other national and local public authorities, and the stadium operator,” he explains.
The review of what happened will begin “immediately and must be completed in the shortest possible time necessary to produce a comprehensive review of the events.” “Once completed, UEFA will publish the Report on www.uefa.com for the sake of transparency,” concludes the entity chaired by Aleksander Ceferin.