Dishonest Déjà Vu: Minister Darmanin Apologizes for 2022 Champions League Fiasco
Apology issued by Darmanin to Liverpool fans over the 2022 Champions League debacle
In a surprising turn of events, France's Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has publicly apologized to Liverpool fans three years after wrongly accusing them of the catastrophic scenes before the 2022 Champions League final at Stade de France.
At the time as the Interior Minister, Darmanin now admits his actions were flawed, blaming the errors on a lack of proper check-ups and succumbing to misguided presumptions.
"Yeah, it was a mess. I didn't check things thoroughly, which was my mistake, and I gave into old prejudices," Darmanin confessed in a YouTube interview on the "Legend" show. "I acknowledge my wrongdoing to Liverpool fans. Of course they had reason to feel aggrieved."
The contentious 2022 final between Liverpool and Real Madrid was marred by delays of over 30 minutes. Anxious police indiscriminately fired tear gas and pepper spray at thousands of supporters crammed outside the stadium amid logistical chaos.
Initially, Darmanin insinuated that up to 40,000 supporters without tickets or forged tickets were responsible for the incidents, but only 2,471 forged tickets were identified.
Curiously, Darmanin mentioned that he wasn't informed about any issues when he reached the stadium. Remarkably, he only realized the situation while reviewing security footage himself, 15 minutes post his arrival.
It was assumed that there was a threat of hooliganism.
"On the CCTV footage, we see a sea of Liverpool supporters, packed tight against the gates with riot police holding them back. I'm told there's a crowd surge," Darmanin revealed. "Initially, our analysis is that they're instigating the chaos. That's what I hear at the security post; that's what the police chief who joins me tells me."
Despite his initial stance, Darmanin later admitted that his statements weren't entirely true.
"During my first public appearance, I repeated what I was told, which was 'Well, the English are causing a ruckus,'" Darmanin admitted on the YouTube show. "It wasn't accurate, strictly speaking."
Investigations later revealed that the chaos was primarily due to missteps by the police and officials, rather than the actions of Liverpool fans. This was evidenced by "glitches in every stage" leading up to, during, and after the game[1][3].
Many supporters also accused police of negligence, claiming that they were targets of local gangs of hooligans as they left the stadium. This issue added to the overall crowd mayhem[2].
In an unusual admission, Darmanin concedes that the security measures in place that day were ineffective.
"Our security system wasn't designed for that at all. The CRS (riot police), with their big boots and shields, aren't great for sprinting," Darmanin remarked. "We messed up our security plan. We anticipated a hooligan war, yet we faced people looking for trouble."
The final was moved to Paris at a short notice after UEFA stripped Russia of hosting the game due to their military invasion of Ukraine. Incidentally, UEFA-assigned investigators found UEFA primarily responsible for the shambolic security blunders affecting tens of thousands of fans[1].
UEFA statements wrongly alleged that Liverpool fans were responsible for arriving late and using fake tickets to gain entry, but the report revealed an entirely different narrative[1][3]. Last year, UEFA settled with Liverpool fans to compensate them for personal injury claims, with UEFA releasing a statement that the agreement was reached without any admission of liability[3].
(FRANCE 24 with AP, with additional insights from Research Porcupine)
Enrichment Data:
- Police Negligence: The chaos at the 2022 Champions League final was mainly due to mistakes by police and officials, not the actions of Liverpool fans.
- Rioter Misidentification: Initially, former Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrongly accused Liverpool fans of causing the chaos.
- UEFA's Role: UEFA-appointed investigators concluded that UEFA itself bears "primary responsibility" for the security failures.
- Personal Injury Compensation: UEFA settled with Liverpool fans to compensate them for personal injury claims, although no admission of liability was made.
- Minister Darmanin, in a surprising turn of events, has publicly apologized to Liverpool fans for his mistakes in the 2022 Champions League fiasco, acknowledging a lack of proper check-ups and succumbing to misguided presumptions.
- The contentious 2022 final between Liverpool and Real Madrid was marred by delays, with anxious police indiscriminately firing tear gas and pepper spray at supporters, blamed initially on these fans without tickets or forged tickets.
- Remarkably, Darmanin mentioned that he wasn't informed about any issues when he reached the stadium, and it was only upon reviewing security footage that he realized the situation.
- Upon review, Darmanin's analysis revealed that the chaos was primarily due to mistakes by the police and officials, not the actions of Liverpool fans as initially assumed.
- Interestingly, investigations later revealed that UEFA itself bears "primary responsibility" for the shambolic security blunders, according to UEFA-assigned investigators.
- Last year, UEFA settled with Liverpool fans to compensate them for personal injury claims, recognizing the chaos at Stade de France as a result of general-news incidents rather than crime-and-justice related sports events like football and the Champions League in the European league.
