Liverpool chief ‘horrified’ by treatment of supporters at Champions League final
Billy Hogan: ‘Nobody should experience what our fans experienced both before or after the match’
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan said he is “horrified” by the treatment of the club’s supporters before and after Saturday’s Champions League final and said nobody should be dealt with the way they were.
Kick-off to the 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in Paris was delayed for 36 minutes as many fans were unable to enter the Stade de France, with many being tear-gassed by French police and some being told their genuine tickets were counterfeit.
Two French government ministers, Gerald Darmanin and Amelie Oudea-Castera, had blamed Liverpool supporters, prompting chairman Tom Werner to demand an apology.
But as the club collated more than 5,000 reports from fans, Hogan said he was struck by crimes and muggings that took place after the game as, over the day, women, children and the disabled were among those mistreated.
And while Uefa has announced it has commissioned a report into events, which will be led by the Portuguese politician Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues, Liverpool called for an investigation and Hogan is determined to ensure that will happen.
“This may just be a difference in language, but in our mind we requested an independent investigation rather than an independent report,” he said. “So detail is really important here and we’ll be following up with UEFA on that over the coming days.”
Liverpool launched an online form for fans to document their experiences, with photographic and video evidence and Hogan added: “Just over 24 hours it has been up and we have had over 5,000 forms completed and submitted, which is really astounding.
“Honestly, I’m horrified by the way some men, women, children – able bodied, less able bodied – have been indiscriminately treated over the course of Saturday.
“We’ve all been rightly focused on the access issues at Stade de France; I think it’s also important we don’t lose sight of what happened after the match. I think we’ve all seen videos, photos, I’ve read a number of stories of absolutely horrific experiences leaving the stadium as well – crimes being committed, muggings taking place. Nobody should experience what our fans experienced both before or after the match. In our minds, obviously this is wholly unacceptable.”
Uefa had initially said kick-off on Saturday was put back due to fans’ late arrival at the ground, despite ample evidence thousands of Liverpool supporters were approaching the Stade de France with hours to spare.
Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson said a friend of his was told his ticket was fake, even though it had been provided by the club, while Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool, was mugged on his way to the ground.
The former Liverpool defender Jim Beglin reported that “organised gangs set about mugging fans” after the game, when he did not see any police.
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