Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan did not approve of French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin taking aim at his club’s supporters
Gendarmerie stand in front of the Liverpool fans during the UEFA Champions League final match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid. Craig Mercer
Premier League club Liverpool FC’s chief executive Billy Hogan has reacted to “disgraceful” comments made by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin this week in relation to lamentable scenes that occurred before and after last weekend’s Champions League final.
As supported by video footage widely shared online, some fans including families with children were teargassed by French police outside the Parc des Princes even if they had valid tickets to see the Reds take on Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday. According to Darmanin, however, who claimed that up to 40,000 of their number caused delays to the match won 1-0 by Madrid by trying to gain access with counterfeit tickets, only Liverpool fans were to blame for the problems that occurred before the kick-off.
“My response to the French minister’s comments again, as I said earlier in the week, is just one of disbelief frankly,” Hogan responded in a question and answer session on Liverpool’s official website, while also revealing that some 6,500 fans have already heeded a request from the club to complete a feedback form that will support any forthcoming investigation into the event’s management.
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Hogan claimed that he had spoken to his counterpart in the Spanish capital, who “made it clear” that their fans also had issues.
Furthermore, this has also been supported by Real Madrid releasing an official statement on the matter on Friday morning where they described Los Blancos’ traveling faithful as “victims” who were left “abandoned and defenseless” by the authorities before becoming the targets of armed gangs who robbed them at full time.
“As was evident in the revealing images published by the media, several fans were attacked, harassed, assaulted and robbed in violent fashion,” Madrid confirmed, adding that these occurrences “continued as they moved into their cars and buses” which caused concerns for their physical wellbeing and certain fans to spend the night in the hospital.
“The pain, the grief, the harm, the hurt that they [fans] suffered on Saturday, and now to be told by a French minister that only Liverpool fans have been a problem, it’s just disgraceful,” Hogan added.
Hogan revealed that his club has written to UEFA once more with 13 specific questions that the Merseysiders want clarified “around the details” of the independent investigation the European football governing body will conduct.
“We just feel it’s incredibly important that we get this investigation going, frankly that we get it launched immediately,” Hogan said.
Liverpool fans have described incidents of heavy-handed policing, with Darmanin revealing that two officers are being investigated for their use of tear gas.
They also strongly contest the French Interior Minister’s claims and others from France’s new sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera that they were to blame for the trouble.
Additionally, there were other concerns of organizational chaos and overcrowding that saw fans forced to wait outside of the ground in the heat while their tickets were checked amid others allegedly attempting to use fake counterparts or rushing the turnstiles after first climbing the gates.
Also wanting answers, Madrid said that their fans and supporters “deserve a response and those responsible to be held accountable in order for events like these to be eradicated from football and sport in general”.
