UEFA and the French football federation estimate that 2,800 ‘fake tickets’ were scanned for the Champions League final, a source said on Tuesday.
The source said the two bodies made this estimation at a crisis meeting at the French sports ministry on Monday.
The meeting was called to investigate what was behind the chaotic scenes between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Saturday’s Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris, with the Spanish side winning 1-0.
The French government, which has faced criticism of over-policing the match that saw thousands of Liverpool fans struggling to enter the Stade de France with tickets, blamed “massive” ticket fraud for the mess. Is.
Two days before the final, French security services warned officials about the risk of 50,000 fans without tickets or fake fans, according to a document seen by AFP on Tuesday.
On 25 May a note from the National Division of the Fight Against Hooliganism (DNLH), written with input from the intelligence services and seen by AFP, “warned about 50,000 English fans in the French capital who would not have tickets”.
“Some of them will have fake tickets and try to use them to reach the stadium,” said the note from the DNLH, a police branch.
“Others will try to enter the arena fraudulently, for example by using the uniforms of stewards, UEFA, cleaning or medical staff,” added the note which was largely distributed to the police.
After a crisis meeting at the sports ministry on Monday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmainin said the root cause of the problems was “large-scale, industrial-scale and organized fraud in fake tickets”.
Darmann said there were between 30,000 and 40,000 Liverpool fans outside the Stade de France with or without a fake ticket.
earlier on Monday Play Minister Amelie Oudia-Castera blamed Liverpool for leaving his supporters “on the slack”, prompting the Liverpool Football Club president to demand an apology for the comments “irresponsible, unprofessional and outright insulting”. An angry letter was penned.
Some 22,000 tickets were officially allocated to fans of Real Madrid and Liverpool. A criminal investigation into counterfeit tickets has been launched in France.
The note also warned that “several hundred English fans would try to enter the stadium by forcing turnstiles and various entrances” and called for “the greatest vigil” at various checkpoints.
“If this event does not present a particular risk with respect to violent supporters, there is a risk of disturbances in public order, in particular, due to the large influx of supporters from across Europe”, the note said.
Saturday’s scenes tarnished the image of the French capital, raising questions about its ability to host major sporting events as it prepares for the 2024 Olympics as well as 2023 rugby. World cup.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, announced on Monday it was opening an “independent report” into the problems in the final that would “examine the decision-making, responsibility and behavior of all entities involved”.
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