UEFA to refund Liverpool fans who had tickets for 2022 Champions League final at Stade de France
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Published 07/03/2023 at 18:17 GMT
UEFA have announced plans to refund Liverpool fans who had tickets for the 2022 Champions League final against Real Madrid. The match was delayed by 36 minutes after worrying scenes outside as fans were sprayed with tear gas which led to crushes in certain areas. UEFA said they bear "primary responsibility" for the scenes and it was "remarkable that no one lost their life".
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UEFA will refund all Liverpool fans who had tickets for the 2022 Champions League final after distressing scenes at the Stade de France.
A review commissioned by European football’s governing body uncovered a catalogue of errors from UEFA and the French authorities at the final in Paris.
The damning report included the police for "indiscriminately" firing tear gas and pepper spray that led to crushes outside the stadium before the match with Real Madrid.
The report also revealed a failure of organisations to work together and said "there was no Plan B when things went wrong".
UEFA said they bear “primary responsibility” for the scenes ahead of the game, which was delayed by 36 minutes.
UEFA have now said they will refund all 19,618 Liverpool allocated tickets.
"We have taken into account a huge number of views expressed both publicly and privately and we believe we have devised a scheme that is comprehensive and fair," said UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis.
"We value the input from the Liverpool FC supporter organisations Spirit of Shankly and Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association as well as the open and transparent dialogue throughout this period.
"We recognise the negative experiences of those supporters on the day and with this scheme we will refund fans who had bought tickets and who were the most affected by the difficulties in accessing the stadium."
Liverpool fans were blamed on the night for arriving late and having ticketless fans in their ranks – but this was found to have been "wrongly inflated and exaggerated" by UEFA’s report, which said there was "no evidence" to support the "reprehensible" claims.
The report added: “It is remarkable that no one lost their life. All the stakeholders interviewed by the panel have agreed that this situation was a near-miss: a term used when an event almost turns into a mass fatality catastrophe."
Spirit of Shankly and the Liverpool Disabled Supporters' Association said they "welcomed" the refund from UEFA.
"With a promise to reimburse supporters, UEFA have gone some way to acknowledging their part in the fiasco,” they said in a statement.
"But it does not excuse UEFA, exempt them from criticism or lessen the need for them to implement all of the recommendations made by the independent inquiry.
"We will work alongside Liverpool and publish details once we know how and when refunds will be processed."
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