PARIS (AFP) -France on Monday blamed massive ticket fraud for the chaotic scenes that marred the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid that raised questions over the capacity of Paris to host the 2024 Olympics.
The French government has faced a barrage of criticism from press and politicians in Britain over police handling of the match on Saturday, which saw thousands of Liverpool fans with tickets struggling to enter.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman told reporters in London many Liverpool fans were in the French capital “in good time”.
“We’re hugely disappointed by how they were treated,” the spokesman added. “Fans deserve to know what happened.”
But after a crisis meeting at the sports ministry, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin defiantly insisted that ticket scams and the behavior of Liverpool fans was to blame.
“What has been confirmed is a massive, industrial-scale and organized fraud in fake tickets... this was the root cause of the delay to the match,” Darmanin said, also charging that Liverpool fans had been less well-organized than their Spanish counterparts.
Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said French authorities were “extremely sorry” for the approximately 2,700 fans with tickets that were unable to enter the Stade de France because of the crowd control problems and suggested they receive compensation.
The scenes tarnished the image of the French capital, raising questions about its ability to host major sporting events as it gears up for the 2024 Olympics, as well as the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Leading French daily Le Monde echoed the British complaints Monday, saying the French authorities were “in denial” about their shortcomings that had turned the event into a “fiasco”.
Monday’s meeting at the sports ministry involved European football’s governing body UEFA, French football chiefs and the French police. Darmanin and Paris police chief Didier Lallement were both in attendance, along with the Sports Minister Oudea-Castera.