March 7 – UEFA has announced a refund scheme for fans “most affected” when trying to gain entry to the Stade de France for the Liverpool vs Real Madrid Champions League final last May.
That includes a refund to all fans with tickets for gates A, B, C, X, Y and Z – the trouble hotspots that were being used for entry by Liverpool fans.
UEFA said that “all fans who according to the access control data did not enter the stadium before 21:00 CEST (the originally scheduled kick-off time), or who were not able to enter the stadium at all, will be eligible for a refund.”
UEFA is also offering refunds to fans who purchased accessibility tickets along with those of their accompanying persons.
In total the refund scheme covers all of the Liverpool allocation of 19,618 tickets, an unprecedented reimbursement scheme for a match that was played.
The final had been switched from St Petersburg in Russia to Paris at short notice following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It only narrowly avoided disaster. Before the match thousands of Liverpool fans were funnelled into an entry where not all the stadium entry points were operational causing a dangerous crush. French police and security officers moved in to indiscriminately pepper spray and tear gas fans in attempts to disperse them.
Outside the ground after the match gangs of local men armed with knives, machetes and bats roamed the streets and public areas, mugging and assaulting fans, with reports that the French police in many cases just stood at a distance and watched.
In announcing the refund process UEFA reminded fans that “as announced by the Embassy of France in the United Kingdom, ticket holders who were victims of crimes committed in Paris may report their case to the relevant French authorities.” UEFA also provided a link to a complaint form.
UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis said: “We have taken into account a huge number of views expressed both publicly and privately and we believe we have devised a scheme that is comprehensive and fair. We value the input from the Liverpool FC supporter organisations Spirit of Shankly (SoS) and Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association (LDSA) as well as the open and transparent dialogue throughout this period. We recognise the negative experiences of those supporters on the day and with this scheme we will refund fans who had bought tickets and who were the most affected by the difficulties in accessing the stadium.”
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