UK’s Johnson ‘disappointed’ by treatment of Liverpool fans in Paris, says spokesman

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is hugely disappointed by how Liverpool soccer fans were treated at the Champions League final in Paris which pitted the English team against Spanish champions Real Madrid, his spokesman said on Monday (May 30), describing footage of crowd trouble at the match as upsetting and concerning.

Dozens of individuals forced their way into the stadium premises, and others outside, including children, were tear-gassed by riot police, a Reuters witness said.

“The footage from the Stade de France this weekend was deeply upsetting and concerning. We know many Liverpool fans travelled to Paris in good time — and we’re hugely disappointed by how they were treated,” the spokesman said.

“We are urging UEFA to work closely with the French authorities on a full investigation and to publish those findings.”

Also on Monday, France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that British citizens were among those arrested after crowd trouble broke out ahead of kick-off.

Darmanin said that out of the 29 or 30 or so people arrested at Paris’ Stade de France last Saturday, “more than a half concerned British citizens”. He added there had been an “industrial-scale” level of selling fake tickets, which in turn had caused Liverpool fans to turn up en masse without valid tickets.

However, he said that while the French authorities had taken steps to prepare for the risk of English hooliganism, they were caught off-guard by local delinquents who also turned up to cause trouble at the match. 

France’s Sports minister also made the point on Monday that Liverpool fans without valid tickets were responsible for the initial crowd problems, with the problem then exacerbated by local youths trying to force their way in to the game.

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan said the club wanted a “transparent investigation” by governing body UEFA. Britain’s minister for sport, Nadine Dorries, also urged UEFA to open an investigation.

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Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 with a late goal. REUTERS