Reds fans blamed for trouble in Asia
French leaders say many tickets were fakes; UK upset by use of tear gas and pepper spray
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PARIS • The French government yesterday blamed massive ticket fraud, local delinquents and Liverpool's handling of their fans for the crowd trouble which marred the Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris over the weekend.
The fallout from the chaos on Saturday has become a political issue ahead of the French parliamentary elections next month, and with the country set to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.
Both far-left and far-right leaders have seized on the clashes outside the Stade de France to slam Emmanuel Macron's government.
Far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon said: "The images are lamentable, they are disturbing because we can clearly see that we are not prepared for events such as the Olympic Games."
Ms Marine Le Pen, who lost to Mr Macron in last month's presidential election, added it was a "humiliation" for France.
However, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin yesterday absolved the French police, who have been accused of heavy-handed tactics after tear gas and pepper spray were employed to disperse the crowd, of any wrongdoing.
He instead largely put the blame on Liverpool and manager Jurgen Klopp, saying: "I remind you the Liverpool coach several days ago - and it's public - called on supporters to come to France even without a ticket."
Mr Darmanin added that the Reds had provided their supporters with paper tickets, and not electronic ones, leading to "massive fraud on an industrial scale". He also claimed more than two-thirds of the tickets presented by some 62,000 Liverpool fans were fakes.
He also sought to praise Real fans, saying they were well-behaved, and insisted France was more than prepared to handle security at big sporting events as trouble is "singularly only with football and with certain English clubs".
Over 100 people were arrested and at least 14 were British nationals, according to Mr Darmanin.
French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera was in unison with her government colleague, telling RTL radio it was the fault of Liverpool fans either arriving without tickets or with fake tickets.
The fiasco meant the match was delayed by more than 35 minutes, resulting in some genuine Liverpool ticket holders not being let in, while others managed to get in only at the end of the first half.
For those who were unfairly affected, Uefa yesterday promised to compensate 2,700 ticket holders who were "deprived".
However, not all the trouble reportedly involved the authorities and the visiting British fans.
TV footage showed images of young men who did not appear to be wearing Liverpool jerseys jumping the gates of the stadium.
Far-right politician Eric Zemmour said local youths from the nearby Seine Saint Denis district - which has one of the highest crime rates in France - had inflamed the situation.
Ms Oudea-Castera confirmed Mr Zemmour's claim on RTL radio, but agreed the authorities had to examine stepping up security at high-risk matches, after more trouble broke out on Sunday following St-Etienne's Ligue 1 relegation.
The home supporters stormed the pitch, hurled flares and clashed with police, who beat them back with tear gas. The British government, though, is taking exception to the willingness of French security to use tear gas and pepper spray at the first signs of trouble.
Calling for Uefa to take action, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday said: "The footage from the Stade de France this weekend was deeply upsetting and concerning. We know many Liverpool fans travelled to Paris in good time... and we're hugely disappointed by how they were treated."
British Minister for Technology Chris Philp added there was "no justification for pepper spray" and the scenes left him "horrified".
The Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, yesterday also called on Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to raise the issue up with Mr Macron.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
