From the suffering of the Liverpool fans in the Paris final
UEFA said on Tuesday it would refund tickets for Liverpool fans who attended last year’s Champions League final in Paris following an independent report confirmed the body was responsible for the chaos off the pitch.
The start of the final match was delayed 36 minutes following thousands of Liverpool fans failed to enter the Stade de France in Paris before the match, which took place on May 28, which Real Madrid won 1-0.
And video footage emerged in which the French police fired tear gas at the fans, including women and children.
Although UEFA initially blamed Liverpool fans for the chaos, it later apologized following an independent report was issued.
“We have taken into account a large number of opinions expressed publicly and privately, and we believe we have put in place a comprehensive and fair plan,” UEFA Secretary General Theodore Theodoridis said in a statement. We appreciate the influence of Liverpool Supporters’ Associations such as Spirit of Shankly and Liverpool Supporters’ Association, as well as the open and transparent dialogue throughout this period.
He continued: We are aware of the negative experience of the fans on this day, and therefore we will refund the value of the tickets to the fans who bought them and were most affected by the difficulties in entering the stadium.
UEFA said refunds would be available to all fans who held tickets for gates A, B, C, X, Y and Z where “difficulties were reported”.
Liverpool fans got 19,618 tickets for the final.
The two associations welcomed the decision to return the value of the tickets in a joint statement, but said that this does not excuse UEFA from causing the crisis.
And the two associations said: With a promise to compensate the fans, UEFA has gone to great lengths to acknowledge its role in the fiasco.
He added: But this is not an excuse for UEFA, and it does not absolve it from criticism and does not diminish its need to implement all the recommendations made by the independent report.
Ticket prices for the final ranged between 62 pounds ($74) and 610 pounds ($733).
UEFA added: In addition, all fans who did not enter the stadium according to the control data before 21:00 CET (the date set for the start of the match) or who were unable to enter the stadium in the first place will have the right to recover their money.
And he continued: Given the nature of the original ticket sales process, where Liverpool fans bought tickets from the club and not directly from UEFA, UEFA asked the club to implement a refund process to ensure the protection of personal data and facilitate the process.
UEFA said Real Madrid fans and neutral fans who meet the refund criteria will be dealt with via customer service.
