Independent review into Champions League final at Stade de France - UEFA ‘primarily responsible’

UEFA bears "primary responsibility" for the chaotic scenes before last year's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. This is according to an independent report published this week.

It was commissioned by Uefa following the final in the Stade de France in Paris on 28 May 2022.

“It’s taken a while, but I think they’ll feel vindicated.”

LiverpoolWorld's Will Rooney said, "Obviously, what happened was abhorrent really with what the supporters were subjected to. Now this report has duly said that Liverpool fans were completely blameless for all of it. It's taken a while, but I think they'll feel vindicated."

French authorities initially placed the blame on Liverpool fans

The football association and French authorities initially placed the blame on Liverpool fans for the events. In July, a French Senate report found Liverpool fans were unfairly blamed for the chaos to "divert attention" from the failure of the organisers. This report echoes these findings, stating there is "no evidence" to support the "reprehensible" claims.

“The parallels between Hillsborough 1989 and Paris 2022 are palpable”

Many of those attending the final were also present at the Hillsborough disaster, and the report compares the two, saying,

"The parallels between Hillsborough 1989 and Paris 2022 are palpable. The similarities include the fact that both events were preventable, and both were caused by the failures of those responsible for public safety."

The report made 21 recommendations in an attempt to ensure "everything possible is done" to prevent a similar incident happening in future.

Liverpool football club released a statement reacting to the report, in it is says, "We implore UEFA to fully enact the recommendations as outlined by the Panel – no matter how difficult – to ensure supporter safety is the number one priority at the heart of every UEFA football fixture."