Madrid wants answers after Champions League final disorder

MADRID: Real Madrid said Friday they want an explanation for the causes of the disorder that left their fans “abandoned and defenseless” at the Champions League final. The club’s call for answers came six days after problems occurred outside the Stade de France in suburban Paris, where Madrid won the European title by defeating Liverpool 1-0.

“We call for answers and explanations in order to determine those responsible for leaving the fans abandoned and defenseless,” Madrid said in a statement. “Fans who in general terms showed exemplary conduct at all times.” The Spanish club questioned the decision to pick suburban Paris as a replacement for the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, which was originally scheduled to host the final before Russia invaded Ukraine.

“We would like to know the reasons which led to this venue being chosen to host the final and the criteria used, taking into account the experiences of the day,” Madrid said. Liverpool had already complained about those involved in organizing the event shortly after the final.

Most of the attention at the time went to the access problems faced by the English club’s fans, but later there were also reports of disorder on the Madrid side. The Spanish club were upset with the violence that occurred outside the stadium after the game.

They said that “something which should have been a wonderful festival of football” for fans “quickly turned into a series of unfortunate events which have caused a sense of outrage around the world.” They mentioned the “revealing images” published by the media that showed several supporters being “attacked, harassed, assaulted and robbed in violent fashion. These occurrences continued as they moved in their cars or busses, causing concern