UEFA says sorry to fans for Champions League final chaos

UEFA has “sincerely” apologised to all fans affected by the chaotic events at last Saturday’s Champions League final.

European football’s governing body announced on Tuesday it had launched an independent review into the access issues that led to fans being crushed and tear-gassed outside Stade de France in Paris before Real Madrid’s 1-0 win against Liverpool.

It has now released a further statement apologising for the distress caused to supporters.

The statement read: “UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to all spectators who had to experience or witness frightening and distressing events in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France on 28 May 2022 in Paris, on a night, which should have been a celebration of European club football.  No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again.

“To that end, immediately after the events, UEFA commissioned an Independent Review to identify shortcomings and responsibilities of all entities involved in the organisation of the final, and has today published the Terms of Reference for this review.

“The Independent Review, which will be led by Dr Tiago Brandão Rodrigues from Portugal, aims at understanding what happened in the build-up to the final, and determining what lessons should be learned to ensure there is no repeat of the actions and events of that day.

“The Review will seek to establish a full picture and timeline of what occurred during the day, both within the stadium and the surrounding areas, including examining spectator flows to the stadium via the various access points.”

UEFA said it will also examine “all relevant operational plans related to security, mobility, ticketing, as well as others”, plus “the planning and