The French Senate criticized this Thursday the “lack of preparation” in the device launched by the French authorities before the final between the Liverpool and the Real Madrid the Stade de France de Saint-Denis, according to the first conclusions of the commission of inquiry.
After collecting the testimonies of several of those involved in the organization of the final of the Champions Leaguedisputed on May 28, the senators criticized the management of the Government of Emmanuel Macron and from the police.
The president of the Commission of CultureSenate Education and Communication, Laurent Lafonpointed to “the lack of preparation” of the authorities before an event of great magnitude and “a lack of reactivity during the event.”
Lafon also pointed out that the preliminary conclusions point to “a critical management” after the event, alluding to the attitude of the Minister of the Interior of France, Gerald Darmaninwho blamed the English fans for the riots around the stadium.
The French politician had blamed the responsibility for the chaos on the 30,000 to 40,000 Liverpool fans who, according to Darmanin’s version, showed up at the Stade de France with false tickets, statements that outraged the mayor of Liverpool, Steve Rotheramwho also gave his testimony in the commission.
The first conclusions – the final report will be presented in the coming weeks – also point to poor management by the Police Prefecture, both in the leaks at the entrance to the compound and in the abusive use of tear gas.
LafonLikewise, he lamented “the absence of dialogue between the French authorities and their Spanish and English counterparts.” The riots prior to the final on May 28 went around the world, as several thousand fans, a large part of Liverpool, could not enter the stadium due to the huge queues formed, a situation that caused the match to start with 36 minutes late. Many fans also reported being robbed.
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