"False stories were peddled in the wake of that night in Paris, comments which have since been completely refuted", reacted in a press release the Premier League club, defeated on May 28 by Real Madrid (1-0) at the Stade de France while confusion reigned outside the enclosure and the kick-off had to be delayed by 37 minutes.

Words which target in particular the statements of the French Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin in the days which followed the scenes of chaos.

The latter had blamed the incidents on so-called hordes of hooligans and other supporters accused of having presented forged tickets.

Endless waiting in narrow and crowded access tunnels, supporters and families sprayed with tear gas or victims of robbery... The system of maintaining order during this meeting had given rise to unbearable scenes, provoking a lively controversy in England and tarnishing abroad, the image of France, organizer of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.

"A Maelstrom of Chaos"

"The supporters have been exonerated of all responsibility", also welcomes in a press release one of the most important groups of supporters Spirit of Shankly, named after one of the legendary coaches of the Reds.

"A failure in communication, the failures of UEFA, the French police and the authorities, that's all to blame."

At first, UEFA had made the incidents responsible for the English spectators, accused of having arrived late at the stadium.

"Fans were gassed, robbed, attacked, people feared for their lives. What should have been the highlight of the season for those from England and Spain turned out to be a maelstrom of chaos," recalls Spirit of Shankly.

"As a club with a glorious European history, we call on UEFA to get it right and implement the report's 21 recommendations to ensure the safety of all fans attending a match in the future. she organizes", supports Liverpool.

"We call on UEFA and those at the top of the football regulatory pyramid to come together and act positively and transparently to avoid any new 'near misses'," he added.

The report notably established the existence of an "evidently and immediate danger of a deadly stampede" and that the action of the Reds supporters had in fact saved lives.

Lawsuit

As soon as the report was published, UEFA issued an "apology" on Monday evening and promised to introduce "appropriate changes" taking into account the recommendations made by the experts.

Supporters facing the police before the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool, May 28, 2022 at the Stade de France © Thomas COEX / AFP

After the events, more than 2,000 England fans took collective action against UEFA.

“We want our clients, as well as all the supporters who have been cleared, to obtain compensation for the psychological and physical trauma suffered that day”, reacted Tony Winterburn, the lawyer for the firm Pogust Goodhead at the origin of the procedure.

“And also for the harm suffered after the final, when the authorities continued to blame them knowing that it was not the truth,” he added.

"What happened in Paris has rekindled the suffering of families, friends and survivors of Hillsborough," concludes Liverpool.

On April 15, 1989, a crowd movement caused the death of 97 Liverpool supporters in the Sheffield stadium which was to host the league match against Nottingham.

According to the independent report commissioned by UEFA, the French police relied on these elements to give Reds supporters an image of hooligans.

Last month, the British police had finally admitted after several decades of legal battle that their "failures were the main cause of the tragedy" of Hillsborough.

In Paris, many Reds supporters had assured that they had the feeling of reliving this trauma.

© 2023 AFP