PARIS — French security services warned authorities of the
risk of 50,000 fans without tickets or with fake ones two days before the
Champions League final between
Liverpool and
Real Madrid in Paris marred by
chaotic scenes, according to a document seen by AFP Tuesday.
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The French government has faced a barrage of
criticism over-policing of the match on Saturday, which saw thousands of
Liverpool fans with tickets struggle to enter, but has blamed “massive” ticket
fraud for the disarray.
A note from the National Division of the Fight
against Hooliganism (DNLH) on May 25 — written with the input of intelligence
services and seen by AFP — warned of “around 50,000
English fans in the French
capital who will not have tickets”.
“Some of them will have fake tickets and will try to
use them to access the stadium,” said the note from the DNLH, a branch of the
police, although it does not estimate how many.
“Others will try to enter the arena by deception,
for example by using the uniforms of stewards, UEFA, cleaning or medical
staff,” added the note that was largely distributed to the police.
After a crisis meeting at the sports ministry on
Monday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the root cause of the
problems was “massive, industrial-scale and organized fraud in fake tickets”.
Darmanin added there had been 30,000 to 40,000
Liverpool fans with fake tickets or without tickets outside the Stade de
France.
Earlier on Monday Sports Minister Amelie
Oudea-Castera blamed Liverpool for leaving its supporters “on the loose”,
prompting the chairman of Liverpool Football Club to pen an angry letter
demanding an apology for the “irresponsible, unprofessional, and wholly
disrespectful” comments.
Some 22,000 tickets were officially allocated each
to Real Madrid and Liverpool fans. A criminal investigation into fake tickets
has been launched in France.
The note also warned that “several hundred
English fans will try to enter the stadium by forcing the turnstiles and the various
access doors” and called for “the greatest vigilance” at the various
checkpoints.
“If this event does not present particular risks in
connection with violent supporters, disturbances to public order are to be
feared, in particular, due to the very important influx of supporters coming
from all over Europe”, the note said.
Saturday’s scenes tarnished the image of the French
capital, raising questions about its ability to host major sporting events as
it gears up for the 2024 Olympics, as well as the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, announced Monday
it was opening an “independent report” into the problems at the final that
would “examine decision making, responsibility, and behaviors of all entities
involved”.
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