Liverpool’s reunion with Real Madrid a reminder of Paris pain for fans

[ FILES] Liverpool. PHOTO: Reuters

A reunion with Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday serves as a reminder to Liverpool fans of the failings that put their lives at risk at last year’s final in Paris.

Madrid’s 1-0 win at the Stade de France on May 28 was overshadowed by the scenes surrounding European football’s showpiece event.

Kick-off was delayed by 37 minutes as fans struggled to access the stadium after being funnelled into overcrowded bottlenecks on approach.

Police then fired tear gas towards thousands of supporters locked behind metal fences on the perimeter to the stadium.

An independent report, commissioned by UEFA and published last week, found European football’s governing body bore “primary responsibility” for failures which “almost led to disaster”.

There were no fatalities in the French capital, but there was still a physical and mental price to pay for both the lack of organisation on the part of the authorities before the match and mudslinging towards supporters in the aftermath.

Ted Morris, chair of the Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association, described the scenes he witnessed as a “carnival of horror.”

For many Liverpool fans the scenes brought back memories of a crush at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 that resulted in the deaths of 97 supporters.

Some remain too scarred to return to watching matches live, even in the familiar surroundings of Anfield.

“I think we’re still all suffering from the aftereffects of the final,” Joe Blott, chair of Liverpool supporters group Spirit of Shankly, told AFP.

“Many people I know and other people are struggling to get to the game now as a consequence of the crowd management.”

– Mental health support – The Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance has seen a spike in