The former French interior minister has apologised to Liverpool fans for using them as a “scapegoat” for the chaos surrounding the 2022 Champions League final in Paris, where supporters of the club, including children, were teargassed by police amid false claims they had caused a riot.
Gérald Darmanin, who is now France’s justice minister, called the night “the biggest failure” of his career. On 28 May 2022, Liverpool supporters said they feared for their lives as they were forced to enter Stade de France via a narrow subway and boxed-in lanes that could not accommodate the thousands of people that had arrived.
This led to severe overcrowding which a French senate report later said posed “a risk of crushing”. Security and ticket checks were abandoned. This led to people without tickets, including some local young men who attacked Liverpool fans, to gain entry into the stadium.
Shortly before kick-off, the turnstiles were closed, leaving many fans with tickets unable to get inside the stadium. As more people arrived, police used pepper spray and teargas on the crowd.
After the match, Liverpool supporters complained of being robbed by local gangs and said police had offered no protection. The French government, police and Uefa placed the blame on Liverpool supporters, claiming that the chaos was caused by thousands seeking entry with fake tickets.
Darmanin apologised to Liverpool fans for the first time on Monday. Speaking to the LEGEND YouTube channel, he said: “It was a failure because I had not foreseen. That was a mistake on my part. I was led astray by my preconceptions.
“The scapegoat was easy to find, and I apologise now to Liverpool supporters. They were quite right to be hurt. It was a mistake and a failure.”
After the match, Darmanin made a statement saying the chaos had been caused by “30,000-40,000 Liverpool fans” with forged or no tickets and alleged there had been an “industrial scale” ticket fraud.
Ian Byrne, the MP for Liverpool West Derby, told the Guardian: “Darmanin’s conduct after Paris was unforgivable and I questioned his fitness in being a minister responsible for justice at the time.
“He repeated all the lies about hooliganism, fake tickets to frame the blame on the Liverpool supporters who were once again victims of a state cover-up. It was only because of the collective fightback of Liverpool supporters and fine journalism that prevented the narrative Darmanin was spinning gaining traction.
“The partial apology will be noted by Liverpool supporters but Darmanin’s actions will not be forgiven or forgotten.”
A month after the game, Darmanin, apologised to “everyone who suffered from bad management” but stopped short of saying sorry to the Liverpool fans.
“Should the Stade de France have been better managed? The answer is yes,” he told the French radio station RTL at the time. “Am I partly responsible? The answer is yes. Of course, I readily apologise towards everyone who suffered from this bad management of the event.”
A Guardian investigation in the aftermath of the game detailed the near disaster Liverpool fans faced, including reporting that children were among those pepper sprayed unprovoked by police.
In March, a judge ruled that Liverpool fans affected by the game had the right to have their personal injury claims heard in the UK after an attempt by European football’s governing body to block it.
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