Police officers guard the Stade de France prior the Champions League final soccer match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, in Saint Denis near Paris, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) |
Real Madrid said Friday it wants an explanation for the causes of the disorder that left its fans “abandoned and defenseless” at the Champions League final.
The club’s call for answers came six days after problems
occurred outside the Stade de France in suburban Paris, where Madrid won the
European title by defeating Liverpool 1-0.
“We call for answers and explanations in order to determine
those responsible for leaving the fans abandoned and defenseless,” Madrid said
in a statement. “Fans who in general terms showed exemplary conduct at all
times.”
The Spanish club questioned the decision to pick suburban
Paris as a replacement for the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, which was
originally scheduled to host the final before Russia invaded Ukraine.
“We would like to know the reasons which led to this venue
being chosen to host the final and the criteria used, taking into account the
experiences of the day,” Madrid said.
Liverpool had already complained about those involved in
organizing the event shortly after the final. Most of the attention at the time
went to the access problems faced by the English club’s fans, but later there
were also reports of disorder on the Madrid side.
The Spanish club was upset with the violence that occurred
outside the stadium after the game. It said that “something which should have
been a wonderful festival of football” for fans “quickly turned into a series
of unfortunate events which have caused a sense of outrage around the world.”
It mentioned the “revealing images” published by the media
that showed several supporters being “attacked, harassed, assaulted and robbed
in violent fashion. These occurrences continued as they moved in their cars or
busses, causing concern for their physical well-being. Certain fans even had to
spend the night in hospital as a result of injuries.”
Authorities said the problems after the match occurred
because police officers were moved closer to the stadium gates to help disperse
fans, leaving other areas without surveillance.
Liverpool said it collected more than 5,000 testimonies from
supporters who traveled to France. Chief executive Billy Hogan said he was
“horrified by the way some men, women, children — able bodied, less able bodied
— have been indiscriminately treated.”
Madrid defender Dani Carvajal said it was “a pretty big
mess” for his club’s fans and that security was not property provided for the
supporters or the players’ relatives before and after the match.
According to the French Football Federation (FFF), 35,000
people without tickets or with “fake” tickets made their way to the Stade de
France, creating disorder by blocking access to the stadium and preventing fans
who had real tickets from getting in.
European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, has also started to
gather evidence about issues outside the Stade de France that marred one of the
world’s biggest sporting occasions.
“Football has transmitted an image to the world which is far
away from the values and goals which it should pursue,” Madrid said. “Our fans
and supporters deserve a response and those responsible to be held accountable
in order for events like these to be eradicated from football and sport in
general.” -AP
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