Paris Police Chief Apologises For Tear Gassing Liverpool Fans
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A Paris Police chief has finally apologised to Liverpool fans for tear gassing them ahead of the Champions League final with Real Madrid.
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Last months final was marred by ugly scenes outside the Stade de France in the French capital, as the game had to be delayed with fans struggling to get into the ground.
First the late arrival of fans was blamed and then later it was due to fake tickets, as UEFA and the French police made claims that didn't really go along with the mounting evidence from journalists and fans who were there.
Whilst much of the focus was on fans of the Premier League side, Real Madrid also made an official complaint about the organisation of the event.
The worst of the scenes saw Liverpool fans being hit by tear gas and pepper spray from the police and now at last there has been an apology.
Paris police chief Didier Lallement said he was 'sorry' for the incident, whilst speaking to the French senate on Thursday morning.
"It is obviously a failure. It was a failure because people were pushed around and attacked. It was a failure because the image of the country was undermined," Mr Lallement said.
The French officials had claimed that there were 40,000 fake tickets on the night, a figure that seemed drastically over the top at the time.
Lallement revealed that the figure was based on no actual evidence, adding, "The figure has no scientific virtue but it came from feedback from police and public transport officials.
"Maybe I was wrong, but it was constructed from all the information harvested.
"Whether there are 30,000 or 40,000 people, it doesn't change anything. What matters is that there were people, in large numbers, likely to disrupt the proper organisation of the filtering."
The UK government and Liverpool FC have both called for a full independent investigation into what happened on the night in question.
UEFA have appointed Portuguese politician Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues to carry out an inquiry, although there has been questions about his impartiality.
Europe's football governing body were quick to blame fans, putting up signs inside the ground claiming their late arrival led to the delay in kick off.
Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: Liverpool, Champions League, Real Madrid, Premier League, La Liga
