Liverpool fans still scarred by Champions League final
Six months on from the chaos that put lives at risk at the Champions League final in Paris, there are Liverpool fans still too frightened to return to watching matches live.
Others appear to be watching their heroes "under anaesthetic" with the atmosphere at Anfield, one of football's most iconic stadiums, described as "awful" this season by local member of parliament and fan Ian Byrne.
Real Madrid's 1-0 win at the Stade de France on May 28 was overshadowed by events surrounding European football's showpiece event.
Kick-off was delayed by 37 minutes as fans struggled to access the stadium after being funnelled into overcrowded bottlenecks on approach.
Police then fired tear gas towards thousands of supporters locked behind metal fences on the perimeter to the stadium.
For many Liverpool fans the scenes brought back memories of a crush at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 that resulted in the deaths of 97 supporters.
"I think we're still all suffering from the after effects of the final," Joe Blott, chair of Liverpool supporters group Spirit of Shankly, told AFP.
"Many people I know and other people are struggling to get to the game now as a consequence of the crowd management.
"Them not wanting to go to the game because they've been to a game is tragic in its own way."
There were no fatalities in the French capital, but there was still a physical and mental price to pay for both the lack of organisation on the part of the authorities before the match and mudslinging towards supporters in the aftermath.
"So many people are still damaged by what they experienced," said Byrne.
"I think the atmosphere at Anfield is reflective of that. It's been awful this season and that's not down to the football, it's been really strange.
"I feel people are at the game under anaesthetic. It feels like all the passion has been sucked out."
"The reason there wasn't a worse disaster is because of the behaviour and experience of Liverpool fans," added Blott.
"For generations, Liverpool fans have learned the lessons of Hillsborough. Why haven't the authorities?
"People were telling people to calm down, people were saying 'make sure you breathe', 'don't climb over', 'let's look after the kids'. All of that was by lessons learned and all of that was by football fans. I think football fans saved lives."
UEFA pinned the blame for the late start to the match on supporters "arriving late" despite thousands having been held for hours outside the stadium before kick-off.
The French authorities then claimed an "industrial scale fraud" of fake tickets was the problem.
However, a French Senate enquiry in July found it was a lack of preparation by French authorities and UEFA, as well as poorly-executed security arrangements that were the cause of the mayhem rather than supporter behaviour.
An independent report into events around the final found that the unprovoked deployment of tear gas from the French police "constituted criminal assault."
Images of the final tarnished France's reputation for holding major sports events ahead of the Rugby World Cup next year and the 2024 Olympic Games, both of which will host events at the Stade de France.
But there is frustration at the lack of action to implement the recommendations of the Senate report.
"Nobody's safety can be guaranteed because nobody has accepted responsibility for something that was really serious and humiliating on an international stage for the whole country," said Liverpool fan and journalist Daniel Austin, who was at the Stade de France on the night of the final.
"The Senate report makes it clear that the behaviour of fans was not at any point a problem and the failures lie with the authorities. They could easily repeat them again because no measures have been put in place to deal with them."
Over 2,000 Liverpool fans are in the process of pursuing UEFA in a class action lawsuit for breach of contract in ticket sales and negligence over a duty of care they had towards supporters.
But many more say they will not attend another UEFA-organised match even if Liverpool made it back to the Champions League final in the coming years.
The results of UEFA's own enquiry are expected in the coming days.
Anything short of an apology and full acceptance of responsibility for organisational failings on behalf of European football's governing body will not wash for Liverpool fans.
"The truth," said Byrne when asked by AFP what he wants to see in the findings of the UEFA enquiry.
"The truth about what happened and about the lies and smears that were aimed at Liverpool supporters from the get-go."
-
17 Places That Harness the Power of the Sun魅力雅女40强 火辣泳装走秀超前沿技术、最权威专家、400张入场券!2023水产种业高质量发展论坛,速来!“毛细血管”向最需要的地方延伸DNC 2024 speech: Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have a superpower no other Democrat has.鲜动羊城!“鱼跃中山”水产品展销走进广州艺术园区加强野生鸟类保护 全面建设生态家园诠释保育内涵 感受教育智慧Students get free entry at second Rawalpindi Test but what’s the catch?川北医学院学生到宝兴开展“三下乡”社会实践活动
下一篇:DOJ accuses TikTok of collecting and sharing users' personal views, as the app fights a ban
- ·When Are Next
- ·货车跑出公路挂在悬崖边 司机跳崖
- ·雅女喻佳丽 祝福家乡电影周圆满成功
- ·甜蜜开摘!德庆贡柑正式上市
- ·Pragmocracy Now
- ·好刀刃劈出“开山”路
- ·川农大学生暑期服务“三农”
- ·河道整治以保洁、治乱、清水为主
- ·Amazon Android Days sale 2024: Save on unlocked phones, tablets, and more
- ·最高降近50万头!牧原、大北农、傲农等6家猪企10月出栏量下跌
- ·雨城区7个月完成技改投资2.94亿元
- ·儿童安全座椅新规实施1月 雅安依然静悄悄
- ·护航孩子成长 解决职工后顾之忧
- ·如何安全使用工商银行个人网上银行
- ·20日,我省本科第二批次院校开录
- ·石棉县9月开始评选“石棉好人”
- ·The Apple iPod: Pocket Music Before That Phone
- ·宝兴专设评议小组服务软环境建设
- ·构建“一主多元”农药械推广格局!植保信息与农药械推广网培训班召开
- ·广西宁明投入粤桂协作资金50万元,助推水稻全产业链发展
- ·A global problem is preventing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza from coming to an end.
- ·夏日空调房里工作谨防“空调腿”
- ·构建“一主多元”农药械推广格局!植保信息与农药械推广网培训班召开
- ·雅女制作感人微电影 《七色花》网络点击突破十万
- ·[Herald Review] Tori Kelly thrills fans, hints her love for Korean artists
- ·三天一查 七天一报 抓住有利时机围歼稻瘟病
- ·Prime exclusive deal: $50 off Govee floor lamp
- ·甜蜜开摘!德庆贡柑正式上市
- ·下一个川锅爆款?清远西牛麻竹笋亮相成都
- ·鲜动羊城!“鱼跃中山”水产品展销走进广州艺术园区
- ·By a technicality, August's full moon is blue. Here's why.
- ·荥经县工商局开展禁毒宣传
- ·宝兴县“安民增收”无公害中药材示范基地建设项目通过省级验收
- ·严厉打击非法猎捕候鸟!广东野生动物保护宣传月启动
- ·7 Reasons to Explore Boston’s Lesser
- ·应对“秋老虎” 迅速恢复供电保障居民生活