Paris’ police chief has admitted policing before the Champions League final in the French capital was “obviously a failure”.
Didier Lallement, the prefect of Paris’ police, speaking before the Senate on Thursday, said people were “jostled or assaulted” and that the incident had “shaken the image” of France.
“It’s an injury for me,” he added.
The Real Madrid versus Liverpool match on 28 May was delayed due to problems outside the stadium prior to kick-off.
French police were criticised for allegedly firing tear gas and pepper spray indiscriminately at Liverpool supporters.
Authorities claimed the problems were caused by “industrial levels of fraud” with up to 40,000 people trying to enter the Stade de France with fake tickets or none at all.
Liverpool says it has already collected more than 5,000 testimonies from supporters who travelled to France to attend the final.
The club’s chief executive Billy Hogan has reviewed some of the information and said he was “horrified by the way some men, women, children — able bodied, less able bodied — have been indiscriminately treated”, both before and after the match.
According to the French Football Federation (FFF), 35,000 people without tickets or with “fake” tickets made their way to the Stade de France.
It said they created disorder by blocking access to the stadium and preventing fans who had real tickets from getting into the venue.
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