The Minister of the Interior has designated the culprits, in his view, for the troubles seen before the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Saint-Denis.
Gérald Darmanin pointed the finger on Saturday evening at the attitude of “thousands of British supporters without tickets or with fake tickets who forced entryfrom the Stade de France, making them bear the responsibility for the chaos on the evening of the Champions League final.
In a tweet, accompanied by a photo of him and the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, at the security headquarters of the Stade de France, the Minister of the Interior argues that “thousands of British +supporters+, without tickets or with counterfeit tickets, forced entry and sometimes assaulted stewards».
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«Thank you to the very many police forces mobilized this evening in this difficult context“, added Mr. Darmanin as a controversy began over the conditions in which France managed this final, won by Real Madrid, two years before the organization of the Paris Olympics.
The meeting between Liverpool and Real Madrid started more than half an hour late, as young spectators without tickets climbed the gates of the stadium enclosure to try to enter. Brief scuffles had opposed the police who repelled these intruders, sometimes using tear gas.
Some spectators, who had tickets, were only able to access the stadium at the end of the first half. A source close to the government argued to AFP that the problem came “British supporters, unfortunately accustomed to these outbursts». «Only a few young people from the neighborhoods got involved in the unrest, but this is marginal“, we added from the same source.
This source further hasdeplored the use of counterfeit tickets by British supporters, which disrupted access to the stadium». «The device was very well sized, we continued, and the reaction was quick from the police on the spot.“. It has been noted that “despite the situation, there were no injuries».
In a press release, the Paris police headquarters explained that before the meeting “many supporters without tickets for the match or holders of counterfeit tickets disrupted access to the Stade de France, at the level of the external security perimeter». «Exerting strong pressure to enter the enclosure, these supporters delayed access to spectators with tickets. Taking advantage of this action, a number of people managed to cross the gates protecting the stadium enclosure.“, added the PP.
«The rapid intervention of the police allowed the return to calm and the evacuation of the disturbers outside the forecourt of the Stade de France“, she completed.
The prefecture noted that the dispersal of spectators was taking place “without difficulty“, and that'”no major incident had been observed in the two fan zonesin Saint-Denis and Cours de Vincennes in Paris.
At 11:45 p.m., according to an initial provisional report from the Ministry of the Interior, there were in Paris and Saint-Denis “53 arrests and 24 police custody». «115 supporters were slightly injured, four of whom were evacuated by firefighters» et «there were no injuries among the police».