Only weeks ago, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) admitted that it bears âprimary responsibilityâ for the catastrophic organisational and safety failures that turned last seasonâs Champions League final into a traumatic experience for many supporters.
Now, itâs revealed plans to refund all Liverpool fansâ tickets from the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid after it âalmost led to a disasterâ outside the Stade de France in Paris. The refund scheme will cover all of the Liverpool allocation (19,618 tickets) with supporters receiving the full cost of their ticket back from European footballâs governing body.
Prices ranged from ÂŁ59.40 up to a whopping ÂŁ585.70 for a seat at the chaotic final. The heart of the reportâwhich came from UEFA itselfâis a conclusion that it had âmarginalisedâ its own safety and security unit, headed by Zeljko Pavlica, a close friend of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.
The report also strongly rejected claims made persistently by UEFA as well as the French police and government ministers, that thousands of Liverpool fans without valid tickets caused the problems. There was no evidence to support such claims, which were made in a âreprehensibleâ attempt by the authorities to avoid responsibility.
Liverpool were involved in the process that led to this latest decision, having had active influence on discussions from the start. Fans of the team were indiscriminately sprayed with tear gas, leading to crushes around the stadium before the game.
The final, which Real Madrid won 1-0, was delayed by 38 minutes due to crowd issues, with supporters inside the stadium told a âsecurity issueâ was to blame for the late running.
According to Sky Sports, some Real Madrid fans will also be eligible for refunds, with anyone who did not access the stadium before the originally scheduled kick-off time (or at all) among those able to claim.
UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis said: âWe have taken into account a huge number of views expressed both publicly and privately and we believe we have devised a scheme that is comprehensive and fair.â