Liverpool fans were held outside the Stade de France during last season (2022) Champions League final
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| UEFA visual message after delay in the 2022 Champions League final |
For those involved, it was a terrifying ordeal. Thousands of Liverpool and Real Madrid fans were besieged on dangerous pavements, pinned to outside entrances, ended up being tear-gassed by police and attacked by local gangs.
This resulted in a 36-minute delay in tee time, with players and staff initially unaware of the trouble that occurred hundreds of yards away, including their own family and friends.
Boldly accusing supporters of being late, audiences on the left — in Paris and around the world — were in fact shocked.
And now, as The Guardian reports, it has been revealed that the statement blaming supporters was prepared "well before game day".
David Conn, as part of the must-read visual inspection of St Denis Chaos, explained that it was "determined during the planning stages of the game, how likely it is to occur late in kickoff."
Labour MP for West Derby, Ian Byrne, described the news as "very shocking and appalling", adding: "It's appalling to do this to Liverpool fans after everything they've been through. ."
Meanwhile, Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram recalled a confrontation with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin over the dangerous situation outside the stadium.
Ceferin is believed to have decided to delay kick-off from the VIP area of the Stade de France, where Rotheram was escorted after being caught up in disturbing scenes at the arena.
Ceferin told Rotheram that UEFA had "suicided" to secure the final is played - after the relocation from the earlier scheduled venue from St. Petersburg amid Russia war with Ukraine.