Liverpool Football Club chairman Tom Werner on Tuesday (May 31) demanded an apology from the French government for blaming Reds fans for the chaotic scenes in the Champions League final at the Stade de France. .

Jostling, attempted intrusion by individuals without a ticket, supporters - including children - in shock at the intervention of the police or victims of theft... The prestigious European final, hosted in Paris and won on Saturday by Real Madrid against Liverpool (1-0), was marked by scenes of chaos and disorganization around the Stade de France, without causing serious injuries.

On Monday, the French Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, accused the Liverpool club of having "left its supporters in the wild", unlike Real Madrid, which accompanied its supporters from start to finish.

The French authorities have also blamed a "massive fraud" of counterfeit tickets from Liverpool supporters, a version that leaves skeptics across the Channel.

These charges bring back to Liverpool supporters the horrible memories of the Hillsborough disaster which left 97 dead in 1989 in a mob for which Reds fans had long been held responsible before the bad decisions of the police. are not recognised.

“A strategy seeking to assign blame to others”

In a letter addressed to the Minister and published by the daily Liverpool Echo, Tom Werner expressed his "total disbelief" that Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera could make "a series of unproven statements on a subject of importance" even before an independent investigation has been held.

"Your comments are irresponsible, unprofessional and totally disrespectful of the thousands of physically and emotionally hurt fans," he added, saying he had received countless emails from "scared" supporters and denouncing "a strategy seeking to attribute blame others through a press conference".

"On behalf of all the fans who experienced this nightmare, I ask for an apology from you, and the assurance that the French authorities and UEFA will allow an independent and transparent investigation to take place."

UEFA, the European football body, announced on Monday that it would commission an "independent report on the events surrounding the Champions League final".

The Liverpool club asked its supporters present on Saturday to share their experience of the meeting via an online form in order to contribute to an investigation.

With AFP

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