Paris Police Chief Says Tear-Gassing of Football Fans at Champions League Final Was a 'Mistake'

Ugly scenes marred the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool in Paris last month. While the French authorities had earlier blamed an estimated 40,000 Reds fans, claiming they were carrying fake tickets or had no tickets at all for the chaos, the head of police in the French capital has now stated otherwise.

The chief of Paris police took responsibility for the crowd trouble that rocked the French capital during the Champions League final a fortnight ago.

Paris is set to host the 2024 Olympics and when police were seen tear-gassing thousands of football fans during the continent's premier club competition on 28 May, serious questions were raised if the French capital was prepared to respond to possible security problems.

"It is obviously a failure," Didier Lallement told the authorities who are investigating the matter at the French Senate. It was a failure because people were pushed around and attacked. It's a failure because the image of the country was undermined."

Lallement even took the blame for causing pain to admirers of both Real Madrid and Liverpool as he had ordered the use of tear gas to disperse the crowd.

But the police chief emphasised that the decision was taken after it became clear that it was the only way to move back the thousands from the gates of the Stade de France.

"We needed to get people to move back," Lallement. "We asked people to move back, then we used tear-gas… it's the only way to our knowledge of moving a crowd back, except for a baton charge."

Lallement was also asked about how French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin came up with figures of 30,000-40,000 ticketless Liverpool fans for the fracas at the venue of the final, to which he replied that he had provided those numbers to the lawmaker.

The estimates were based on the details provided by Paris transport authorities and officials who were tasked with securing the stadium.

"Perhaps I made a mistake with the figure I gave to the minister. I never claimed that it was absolutely accurate," Lallement said.

Lallement's rebuttal comes as a shot in the arm for Liverpool fans and several British politicians, who have continuously denied that the Reds supporters arrived in Paris with fake tickets or no tickets at all.

Later on Thursday, Steve Rotheram, the mayor of the Liverpool city region will also testify to the French Senate commission.