‘It is now the duty of Uefa and the French police to stop trying to present a dishonest picture’
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has criticised UEFA for their handling of Saturday’s Champions League final in Paris between the Reds and Real Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp’s side suffered an agonising 1-0 defeat to Madrid at the Stade de France, with Vinícius Júnior’s 59th minute strike enough to secure Los Blancos’ 14th European crown.
However, Liverpool supporters were tear-gassed and stranded in queues for hours outside of the stadium prior to kick-off, with riot police deployed throughout the French capital. UEFA initially blamed “the late arrival of fans” before later claiming that the attempted use of fake tickets caused a blockage.
A number of pundits and former players – including Kenny Dalglish, Gary Lineker, Andy Robertson and Jason McAteer – slammed the European governing body for their handling of the showpiece event.
Carragher slams UEFA
Now, Reds stalwart Carragher took aim at whoever sanctioned the initial message, insisting it was a ‘lie’ and that the person “should be identified and forced to explain on what grounds it was made.”
Column on the events off the pitch in the #ChampionsLeagueFinal @UEFA will not get away with their fake news.
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) May 29, 2022
Writing in his Telegraph column, the 44-year-old said: “It can be taken as a positive that UEFA were forced to retreat from their initial explanation.
“They had no choice because so many viral social media videos proved thousands of fans were being prevented from getting close to the stadium over two-and-a-half-hours before the scheduled kick-off. ”
Carragher also praised journalists and supporters who ensured that misinformation was not negligently spread, adding: “It is now the duty of Uefa and the French police to stop trying to present a dishonest picture in order to explain why it happened.
The former England international was working for CBS Sports for the final, which meant that he was unable to witness the scary scenes outside the ground. However, after seeing what was happening through videos and images uploaded to social media, he insisted that fans of all clubs must stand together to prevent authorities from abusing their power.
“As supporters, we must all put aside tribal rivalries and work together on this,” he continued.
“Otherwise the demonisation of football supporters will continue, and those running our game will continue to hide from their responsibility to create a safe, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for all those attending. Liverpool and Real Madrid fans were in Paris to have a great time, not cause trouble.”
#UCL Final delay: How it happened 👇
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol is outside the Stade de France where "the situation has now calmed down." pic.twitter.com/gkQ0krPVTF
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 28, 2022
Government call for formal investigation
The UK Government has backed Liverpool’s calls for UEFA to launch a “formal investigation” into the chaos which occured before the match.
Merseyside Police – who had officers deployed in Paris – also insisted that the majority of supporters had behaved in an “exemplary” manner and arrived at the ground in plenty of time.
Related links:
- UK Government urges UEFA to launch ‘formal investigation’ into Champions League final chaos
- Andy Robertson slams UEFA for ‘shambles’ before Champions League final
- Merseyside police defend ‘exemplary’ Liverpool fans tear gassed by French police
