UEFA will refund Liverpool supporters who had tickets to the Champions League final held in Paris last May after an independent report held UEFA “primarily responsible” for organisational failures that caused “near misses that nearly led to disaster” at the Stade de France.
The report showed that tear gas was used by police, and supporters were crushed in dangerous bottlenecks outside the ground.
Liverpool fans were originally blamed by authorities. However, UEFA has now agreed to refund all 19,618 Liverpool ticket holders.
The final was delayed by 38 minutes due to crowd issues outside the venue. Scanning devices were faulty, and many fans accused of possessing fake tickets were refused entry, including supporters with genuine tickets.
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The refund is expected to cost around £3m (€3.4m).
The announcement was made after a joint statement by the Spirit of Shankly and the Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association welcomed the unprecedented move by UEFA but also criticised the organisation, stating that this does not excuse UEFA or exempt them from criticism.
It also stressed the need for UEFA to implement all of the recommendations made by the independent inquiry.
The Liverpool fans’ groups had worked alongside Football Supporters Europe and Ian Byrne MP to hold those responsible for the catastrophic events in Paris accountable.
UEFA General Secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, stated that the refund scheme is “comprehensive and fair” and that the views of the Liverpool FC supporter organisations and open and transparent dialogue throughout this period had been taken into account.
