Soccer Body Investigating Pre-Game Chaos at Paris Champions League Final
Mayhem led to an unusual 37-minute delay in the start of the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid
International soccer officials are investigating the chaos outside Paris’s Stade de France stadium for last Saturday’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. The highly anticipated game was uncharacteristically delayed for 37 minutes because many fans, mostly Liverpool fans, were unable to get in. Some fans reportedly were mugged. Tear gas also reportedly was used. The French government is blaming Liverpool fans, while Liverpool says that is an "irresponsible, unprofessional" rush to judgment and cites heavy-handed policing. Some potential causes of the problems include only having three months to prepare for the event because the game was originally going to be hosted in Russia. Some are pointing to a lack of signage to guide fans to the game in an orderly way. Some also are wondering why Liverpool fans were made to walk through a narrow path from the subway to the stadium. Another factor may be there reportedly were many fake tickets in circulation, leading to more delays. "It was a pretty big mess," said Madrid defender Dani Carvajal, whose family encountered safety issues. "They have to learn and fix the mistakes for the next events that may happen at this stadium, and hopefully everything will be better. But yes, in the end there were people who suffered a lot." Real Madrid won the game by a lone goal.