More than 1,700 Liverpool supporters have registered with law firms to file claims against UEFA. They claim to have suffered physical injuries and psychological trauma from the chaos in the Champions League final, which saw the Reds face Real Madrid on May 28 in Paris. The match was won by the Spaniards (1-0).
Broken ribs from crushing, symptoms of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder or bruises caused by the clubs and shields of the French police are some of the complaints from the fans, who traveled to Paris to watch the final marked by incidents outside the Stade de France. . The chaos was so great that UEFA was forced to postpone the start of the final twice, for “security reasons”. Something that has never been seen before.
According to the complainants’ reports, thousands of Liverpool supporters were led by French police via an alternative and dangerous route, through the underground tunnels, to a checkpoint with funnels, where huge lines piled up with an obvious risk of being crushed. The decision to close the gates to the fence also proved catastrophic in terms of security. The huge static and impatient lines were pulled from the bars by the police with pepper and tear gas. Many managed to break through the bars and breach the security perimeter, with police arresting 68 people in the incidents.
UEFA and the French authorities blamed the fans for the chaos. “Real Madrid supervised the arrival of their supporters in Paris, (…) which is in stark contrast to what the Liverpool club did, which gave their supporters free rein. That made all the difference,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs. French sports. Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, in an interview with the television channel RTL.
Now they want to be compensated. “We represent people who suffered physical injuries from the shattering of the fences and many people who suffered psychologically from the situation. Some feared for their lives. Customers reported anxiety, PTSD, nightmares, never wanting to go to a European football match or even France again,” he told the guard Gerard Long, partner at Binghams law firm, which has already registered 1,300 people for a potential lawsuit.
Another company has 400 supporters interested in taking action against the European body. “Some are people previously affected by the Hillsborough disaster,” said Jill Paterson, the Leigh Day partner leading the group’s possible claim, remembering the tragedy in 1989 when 96 people were crushed during a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in Sheffield.
The next step is to take the complaints to UEFA and seek compensation for the more than 1,700 victims of the Champions 2022 incidents. If the European body continues with an uncompromising stance, fans will red file a claim with the court.
Source: DN
