The same is true of police unions or agents present on Saturday near the stadium, who however recognize "a concern at the level of the coordination of the police" by the Paris Police Prefecture and "a lack of adaptation when things go wrong".

Same speech Monday during the meeting organized by the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, to take stock of the dysfunctions with the sports organizers, the consortium of the Stade de France and the prefect of police of Paris, Didier Lallement, who represents Gerald Darmanin.

Saturday evening, the Minister of the Interior had immediately set the tone by designating "the thousands of + supporters +" British holders of counterfeit tickets or without a ticket, as troublemakers, immediately followed by the Prefecture of Police.

But the thousands of spectators huddled against the barriers, the attempts of intrusion by young men and the interventions of the police with tear gas gave the image of "a nameless brothel", in the opinion of even police unionists.

In a report sent to Mr. Darmanin on Sunday and of which AFP was aware, Didier Lallement, who is also regularly criticized for his methods of maintaining order deemed too brutal, counter-attacked by announcing to take legal action on "the massive counterfeit fraud".

No figures were given regarding their number.

He considered "necessary to identify those responsible for this fraud" which "could have had very serious consequences on the safety of spectators".

In addition, Mr. Lallement added that "300 to 400 young people from sensitive areas of Seine-Saint-Denis" "also tried to force the device".

"The essential" has been "assured"

The spokeswoman for the PP, Loubna Atta, reminded AFP on Sunday that the police theoretically did not intervene inside the stadium, this aspect being managed by the consortium with stewards and other security agents.

Police forces deployed around the Stade de France before the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool, May 28, 2022 in Saint-Denis THOMAS COEX AFP

But on Saturday, faced with the influx of holders of counterfeit tickets or people without tickets which clogged up access to the stadium, the consortium "requested the help of the police to manage these crowd movements, she said. .

“There was a risk that people would be crushed against the railings”, that there would be serious injuries or even deaths, continued Ms. Atta.

"It was going badly, there was a complete embolism of the tourniquets".

If he recommends a reinforcement of the workforce for "high-risk matches", Mr. Lallement considers that the system put in place on Saturday - already substantial with nearly 7,000 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters - "has ensured the essential: to allow a smooth running of the match and guarantee the safety of the festivities without deaths or serious injuries".

He also notes "the essential role of the fan zones" designed to accommodate Real Madrid and Liverpool supporters separately.

While the foreign press is cursing the French police, Grégory Joron (SGP Police Unit) told AFP that "it was too easy to blame the police".

For him, too, the problem came from counterfeit tickets and a lack of organization by the sports authorities.

To which was added "a descent of individuals who came to rob the spectators".

Patrice Ribeiro (synergie Officers) related the same phenomenon of delinquency.

"New", according to him, "young people, perhaps unaccompanied minors, acting in packs".

"We had never seen this on such a scale. Spectators were completely stripped, including their clothes," he said, adding that these scenes lasted until late at night.

Police officers, who requested anonymity, on the ground Saturday described multiple scenes of snatching.

"It didn't stop. We saw teams make countless thefts," said one of them.

"It was badly managed", he said, criticizing the choice "to put the local staff in static when they are the ones who know the most local delinquency. It was not coherent".

"It was a mess," summed up another.

For Grégory Joron, there was a problem of "coordination" between the different forces mobilized and "adaptation" when an unexpected event occurs and, for Patrice Ribeiro, "an undersizing of the stewards' system".

© 2022 AFP