Former French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has apologized to Liverpool supporters for wrongly blaming them for the disturbances that occurred at the Stade de France during the 2022 Champions League final in Paris.
Darmanin, who currently serves as Minister of Justice, acknowledged that the security measures for the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid were insufficient. In addition, he admitted that his previous public statements, in which he blamed the English fans, were a mistake.Before the match, which was delayed by more than 30 minutes, fans were caught in dangerous crowds outside the Stade de France. Images were recorded of the French police using tear gas against the supporters, who reported violent treatment when being led to pens outside the stadium.
Two days after the encounter, Darmanin, in a joint press conference with other French ministers, attributed the disorder to “English fans” and the possession of fake tickets.
Now, he has retracted his comments and described the night as “the biggest failure” of his career, according to an interview on the French Legend program on YouTube.
What I didn’t appreciate that night was that the real problem didn’t come from the English supporters, but from criminals who were robbing the fans.
Gérald Darmanin
Darmanin added: “As I had not checked what was happening correctly, which was a mistake on my part, and as I gave in to preconceived ideas… the culprit was easy to designate, and I apologize to Liverpool fans. Of course, they were right to feel upset.”
In March, UEFA lost its attempt to dismiss the claims filed by hundreds of Liverpool fans who attended the Champions League final for personal injuries allegedly caused by the chaos outside the stadium.
