Paris: On Thursday, the Paris police chief acknowledged the “failure” of last month’s Champions League final security and apologized for tear gas supporters trying to enter the stadium.
Paris-sponsored football showpiece on May 28, Liverpool fans struggling to enter the stadium for a match against Real Madrid, questioning the ability of the French capital to host the 2024 Olympics Because I threw it, I was hit by a scene of mayhem.
“It’s definitely a failure,” Didier Lallement told a committee investigating the blunder in the French Senate. “It was a failure because people were pushed away and attacked. It was a failure because the image of the country was damaged.”
He said he was “sorry” about allowing supporters to move away from the stadium using tear gas before the match, but “there is no other way” to alleviate the increased pressure at the gate. I added.
“We needed to get people back,” Lallement explained. “We asked people to return, and used tear gas … it’s the only way to our knowledge of returning the crowd, except for baton charges.”
He recommended that Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters file complaints “to find and prosecute guilty parties” if they were victims of counterfeit tickets or street crimes outside the stadium.
Larement is under pressure from a controversial figure by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin accusing the presence of 30-40,000 supporters with no tickets or fake tickets for obstacles and delays in the stadium. I did.
The police chief said he was responsible for this number and said it was based on numbers from Parisian carriers and “feedback” from ground police.
“Maybe I made a mistake in the numbers I gave to the minister,” he said. “I never claimed that it was absolutely accurate.”
He admitted that there were no 30-40,000 people “at the gate of the stadium,” but claimed that thousands were nearby.
These allegations infuriated not only Liverpool’s supporters, but also senior British politicians who unfairly accused France of trying to distract the police.
Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotherham will testify to the Senate Committee later Thursday.
