More unsavoury scenes in the French capital.
French riot police appeared to attack Liverpool supporters watching the Reds’ Champions League final clash against Real Madrid in Paris on Saturday night.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men secured a 1-0 win over Jurgen Klopp’s side to win their 14th crown , thanks to Vinícius Júnior’s second-half strike.
However, several heavily armed officers were filmed hitting supporters at one of the dedicated fan zones in the east of Paris, with a woman seen among the victims of the police violence, despite appearing to be unprovoked.
Violente charge policière dans un bar à proximité de la fan zone de Liverpool à Nation, la situation dégénère. Les personnes en terrasse reçoivent des coups de matraques. #Liverpool #LIVRMA #LiverpoolVsRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/Wl0Vu2kMTd
— Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) May 28, 2022
“The police came at the fans with batons and shields,” said an onlooker who witnessed the incident(s), which came during the first half of the tie, as per the Mirror.
“Officers had been standing by with water cannons and other crowd control devices all day, and their numbers increased as the day went on. They seemed to be unhappy with the amount of drinking that went on, and so decided to move in. It seemed to be unprovoked.”
The report adds that a police source stated that the officers were responding to ‘crown trouble’ among the thousands of Reds fans in and around Place de la Nation.
The square was set aside for around 40,000 Liverpool supporters who were in the French capital without tickets for the showpiece event.
Pepper spraying fans outside stadium in Paris pic.twitter.com/drgzEpR9gD
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) May 28, 2022
Shocking scenes in Paris
It came after the kick-off was delayed “due to a security issue”, UEFA claimed.
The final, which was scheduled to begin at 9 pm local time at the Stade de France, was delayed due to events outside the ground, with fans being tear gassed and denied entry to the stadium.
The Mirror adds that police sources claim fans attempted to force their way through the first ticket checkpoint outside the stadium — situated in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis — but that access to the venue remained “watertight”.
Related links:
- Thibaut Courtois accuses English press of lack of respect after final heroics
- Real Madrid win 14th Champions League title against Liverpool
- Liverpool issue statement after Champions League final entry chaos
