At the time of the match, Darmanin served as France’s Interior Minister and was at the center of controversy following the event’s mishandling. The final, featuring Liverpool and Real Madrid, was delayed by over 30 minutes as thousands of fans were left stranded outside the stadium in dangerously congested conditions. Riot police responded by deploying tear gas and pepper spray indiscriminately — a move that drew widespread condemnation.
Initially, Darmanin had attributed the chaos to what he claimed were tens of thousands of Liverpool supporters arriving with fake or no tickets. This narrative quickly unraveled under scrutiny. Just 2,471 counterfeit tickets were officially identified, a fraction of the estimated 40,000 he had cited.
Now, in a rare admission during an interview on the YouTube program Legend, Darmanin conceded his failure.
“Yes, it was a failure. Because I hadn’t checked what was happening properly, which was my mistake, and because I gave in to preconceived ideas,” he said. “The culprit was easy (to designate), and I apologize to Liverpool fans. Of course they were right to (feel upset).”
The apology comes amid renewed attention on the event’s mishandling by French authorities. Darmanin admitted he was uninformed about the developing situation upon arriving at the stadium, only becoming aware of the crisis after reviewing surveillance footage 15 minutes later. He described a scene of confusion and panic, misinterpreted by security personnel as a threat from unruly supporters.
“On the video surveillance images we see a red crowd of Liverpool supporters, crowded against the gates and the riot police holding them back. I’m told there’s a crowd surge,” Darmanin explained. “The initial analysis we make is ‘they’re causing mayhem.’”
He further acknowledged that the security deployment was poorly planned.
“Our security system wasn’t designed for that at all. The CRS (riot police), mobile gendarmes with big boots and shields, they’re not great for running,” he said. “We got our system wrong. We were expecting a hooligan war, and instead we got people who came to steal.”
French senators echoed these sentiments in a subsequent parliamentary report, stating that failures by police and public officials — not Liverpool fans — were the primary causes of the unrest. Many fans also reported being assaulted and robbed by local gangs after the game, further exacerbated by inadequate police protection.
The final had been moved to Paris just three months earlier, after UEFA stripped St. Petersburg of hosting rights in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. UEFA’s own independent investigation, published in February 2023, placed the blame squarely on the governing body, calling the event a near disaster.
“It is remarkable that no one lost their life,” the panel wrote in its 220-page report. “The panel has concluded that UEFA, as event owner, bears primary responsibility.”
Despite UEFA initially backing French officials and blaming Liverpool supporters for arriving late or using fake tickets, the organization later reached a confidential settlement with affected fans — though it admitted no legal liability.
Darmanin’s public mea culpa is a long-overdue recognition of the unjust treatment endured by Liverpool fans, many of whom are still dealing with the trauma of that night. For them, the apology offers some measure of closure — but it also stands as a stark reminder of the dangers of scapegoating and mismanagement on the international sporting stage.