The 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool at Stade de France has continued to be a course of concern for football stakeholders across the world. Real Madrid are the latest to demand answers over the chaos that happened at the football event.
Recall that the 2022 Champions League final which took place in Paris on May 28, 2022, was delayed for over 30 minutes. Then, the handlers of the stadium announced that the spectators arrived late.
Afterward, a video surfaced on the internet showing thousand of fans gathered outside the stadium waiting to gain access to the match venue. Most of the stranded fans were Liverpool supporters.
Despite most of the spectators showing that they had match tickets, they were still locked outside the match venue. To make things worst for the fans, the police used pepper spray on the stranded fans.
Afterward, the match went on and Real Madrid won the 2022 UEFA Champions League title with a lone goal thinks to Vinicius Junior’s 59th-minute strike.
After the final, UEFA claimed that the match was delayed because some of the spectators arrived at the match venue with fake tickets. The European football governing body confirmed that it has requested an investigation into the chaotic final.
On the other hand, France’s sports minister claimed that Liverpool fans caused the chaos by arriving at the match venue with fake tickets, a claim that didn’t sit well with the management of the Premier League club.
Real Madrid demands answers:
Less than a week after the chaotic UEFA Champions League final in Paris, Real Madrid released a statement insisting that the club’s fans were also victims of the chaos.
The reigning UEFA Champions League winners demanded to know why the Stade de France was chosen to host the Champions League final and who was responsible for leaving the fans stranded outside the match venue.
Note that the 2022 UEFA Champions League final was formerly supposed to take place in St Petersburg, Russia but the venue of the final was moved to Paris due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A statement from Real Madrid read: “We would like to know the reasons which led to this venue being chosen to host the final and the criteria used, taking into account the experiences of the day.
“Furthermore, we call for answers and explanations to determine those responsible for leaving the fans abandoned and defenseless. Fans who in general terms showed exemplary conduct at all times…
“We believe something which should have been a wonderful festival of football for all fans who attended the game, quickly turned into a series of unfortunate events which have caused a sense of outrage around the world,” said Real Madrid.
“As was evident in the revealing images published by the media, several fans were attacked, harassed, assaulted, and robbed violently.
“These occurrences continued as they moved in their cars or busses, causing concern for their physical wellbeing. Certain fans even had to spend the night in hospital as a result of injuries…
“Our fans and supporters deserve a response and those responsible are to be held accountable for events like these to be eradicated from football and sport in general.”
Official Announcement. #RealMadrid
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 3, 2022
Note that UEFA has constituted an independent board to investigate the incident that led to the delay of the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League final.
