Uefa promised to open a “special refund scheme for fans” who attended last season’s Champions League final, as it responded to the damning findings of the report it commissioned into the events in Paris last May.
The report found that Uefa bears “primary responsibility” for the catastrophic organisational and safety failures that turned the final into a horrific, traumatic experience for thousands of Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters.
European football’s governing body did not provide details of the refund scheme but it raises the prospect that it could reimburse the cost of match tickets. General admission tickets at the Stade de France ranged from €70 to €690.
Fans experienced access delays, congestion, crushing, turnstile closures, brutal policing and criminal attacks by local groups. “The panel has concluded that Uefa, as event owner, bears primary responsibility for failures which almost led to disaster,” states the report, which also criticised the French police and French football federation.
Uefa said it would “announce separately” the refund scheme. In a statement, it did not say it accepted the panel’s findings, saying it was “currently analysing” them “and assessing them against its own analysis of the organisation of the event and facts that occurred around it”. Uefa also said it was “reviewing “the panel’s recommendations “in order to introduce appropriate changes and arrangements to ensure the highest level of safety for fans at future finals”.
In comments issued with the statement, the Uefa general secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, said: “On behalf of Uefa, I would like to apologise most sincerely once again to all those who were affected by the events that unfolded on what should have been a celebration at the pinnacle of the club season.
“In particular, I would like to apologise to the supporters of Liverpool FC for the experiences many of them had when attending the game and for the messages released prior to and during the game which had the effect of unjustly blaming them for the situation leading to the delayed kick-off.
“Uefa is committed to learning from the events of 28 May, and will cooperate closely with supporters’ groups, the finalist clubs, the host associations and local authorities in order to deliver outstanding finals where everyone can enjoy the game in a safe, secure and welcoming environment.”
Steve Rotheram, mayor of Liverpool city region, said: “Uefa’s report vindicates what I and other fans have been saying all along: that is, it was the fans who averted a disaster and were clearly not to blame, whilst the organisers – Uefa and the French authorities – were really responsible.”
