Crossing of accusations between France and England for the chaos of Saint-Denis

The organizational chaos experienced before and after the end of the Champions in St Denis that caused a delay of 37 minutes at the start of the game threatens to open a diplomatic crisis between France e England. From London they ask for an official investigation to clarify the facts while from Paris the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmaninblames directly the followers of the Liverpool of what happened. The red club, on the same Saturday, already protested the treatment that its fans received by security forces and police overwhelmed in the chaos experienced at the entrances to the stadium.

“We regret the disorganization that saw between 30,000 and 40,000 British fans without tickets or with counterfeit tickets arrive at the Stade de France. A massive, industrial-scale and organized fraud of counterfeit tickets has been verified,” Darmanin explained.

Neither the interior minister nor the head of sports, Amelie Oudea-Castera, gave explanations for the proliferation of organized groups dedicated to robbing and attacking Liverpool and Real Madrid fans before and after the match. Darmanin regretted, yes, that some police officers used tear gas “unnecessarily and disproportionately.”

The chaos experienced in Saint-Denis is a blow to France’s prestige and calls into question the organizational capacity of Paris, host of the 2024 Olympic Games.

Outrage in the UK

“We know that many Liverpool fans traveled to Paris in time to support their team in one of the biggest games of the season and we are very disappointed in how they were treated,” a Liverpool spokesman said. Downing Streetofficial residence of the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. “The fans deserve to know what happened, which is why we urge UEFA to work closely with the French authorities in a full investigation” and that “their findings be published,” added the British official spokesman.

“That is exactly why we need a full investigation into what happened,” the spokesman insisted, adding that UEFA justified the delay of the match with the late arrival of fans. “That is inconsistent with the experience of many who were outside the stadium, so we need a full investigation to get to the bottom of what happened.”

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