Report on the 2022 Champions League final finds that the police “failed to fulfil their duty to protect the population”

A damning report into police failures that led to the collapse of security measures at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris includes new security recommendations for major sporting events in France.

An investigation by the Défense des Droits, an independent administrative body of the French government, was launched after disabled Liverpool fans complained about the use of tear gas and the failure of police to protect them from attacks by local gangs as they left the arena.

The court concluded that the police had “failed to fulfil their duty to protect the population” at the Stade de France two years ago. The use of tear gas was “absolutely not necessary or proportionate in the circumstances”.

“There is no doubt that this use of violence led to a panic reaction among supporters, putting people in danger,” the report concluded.

This action “endangered” the supporters who were there legally to watch the game, “which applied to the majority of those present”.

According to the report, the police “did not take all necessary steps to monitor or control the actions of its officers.” It recommends that body cameras be activated in the future when police use weapons in the performance of their duties.

GO DEEPER

“He hit me with a hammer”: Fans remember the chaos of the Champions League final

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who initially gave inaccurate figures on the number of counterfeit tickets in circulation before declaring them invalid and then apologising “to all those who suffered from the poor management” of the final, must now consider proposals that include changing the rules on the use of tear gas on sports grounds and at other cultural events.

The report also suggested that French authorities would issue instructions and orders in foreign languages ​​during these spectacles, depending on the nationality of the participants.
Outside the Stade de France, inadequate signage had contributed to a bottleneck of fans on the Liverpool side of the stadium.

Due to increasing pressure and fear of crowding, the police imposed a pre-check which, according to the authorities present, allowed up to “400 people without tickets” to enter the outer area of ​​the stadium.

The report did not mention where these people came from. In the statements made by supporters, journalists and sponsors after the near-disaster, there were many references to the influence of local gangs, who were later responsible for attacks on people leaving the stadium.

(Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)