UEFA To Investigate Champions League Chaos

UEFA announced on Monday that it is opening an “independent report” into the security chaos ahead of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France in Paris.

European football’s governing body said the report would “examine the decision-making, responsibility, and behavior of all entities involved in the final”.

UEFA has appointed Portuguese politician Tiago Brando Rodrigues to oversee the report on a free-of-charge basis, upon completion of which they will decide on the course of action.

“Evidence will be collected from all relevant parties. The findings of the independent report will be made public,” UEFA promised.

Brando Rodrigues has served as the Portuguese Minister of Education, was a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, and was Portugal’s Olympic attaché during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

France on Monday blamed “massive” ticket fraud for Saturday’s chaotic scenes in the Champions League final, in which Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0.

But the French government has faced criticism from the press and politicians in the United Kingdom over the policing of the match.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmin said Liverpool had provided paper tickets to its supporters, not electronic ones, allowing the possibility of what he described as “large-scale fraud on an industrial scale”.

The minister said more than two-thirds of the tickets presented by around 62,000 Liverpool supporters were fake.

“I want to say once again that the decisions taken have prevented deaths or serious injuries,” Darmanin told reporters after an emergency meeting on Monday.

Liverpool supporters fired tear gas shells after waiting in huge queues before the clash against Real Madrid at the Stade de France, with access problems causing a 36-minute kickoff delay.

UEFA initially attributed the delay to late arrivals of fans and later issued a statement alleging issues over counterfeit tickets.