No confirmed date for publication of review into Champions League final chaos in Paris

Fans with genuine tickets were turned away from the final in May as IT systems broke down and police tear gassed fans Credit: PA Images

Liverpool fans are still waiting to hear when an independent review into the chaotic scenes at the Champions League final in Paris will be published.

UEFA had aimed to have the report published by the end of November, but it was still waiting for confirmation of when it will be received.

European football’s governing body commissioned a team, led by Portuguese Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues, to look into the events at the Stade de France in May which saw dangerous congestion problems leading to a delayed kick-off.

Thousands, including Liverpool fans were locked out, tickets failed to work and heavy-handed Paris police tear gassed supporters.

In a statement, UEFA said: "UEFA has not yet been informed of a concrete date for the publication of the report being currently prepared by the Independent Review team led by Dr Brandao Rodrigues.”

Concerns were previously expressed over the appointment of Rodrigues, two days after the final, as he used to work closely with Tiago Craveiro, then chief executive of the Portuguese Football Federation, who in March this year moved to become an adviser to UEFA president Aleksandr Ceferin.

Fans with genuine tickets were turned away from the final in May as IT systems broke down and police tear gassed fans. Credit: Adam Davy/PA

However, fears seemed to have been allayed, certainly among some groups on Merseyside, when Rodrigues and his team visited to gather information and take statements from the club and organised supporters’ groups.

It has been reported that in one meeting, Rodrigues was reduced to tears by fans recounting their stories of events at the Stade de France and the parallels they drew with the 1989 Hillsborough disaster – which some of those being questioned had direct experience of – where 97 Liverpool fans died.

Fans were pepper-sprayed outside of the stadium in Paris ahead of the Champions League final. Credit: PA Images

In October an independent report based on hundreds of eyewitness accounts found Liverpool fans were "treated with contempt" and lives were "put at risk" by the "abject failure" of UEFA at the Champions League final in Paris.

The report also said, because of their understanding of the Hillsborough disaster, the way Liverpool fans reacted "prevented a fatal tragedy".

The Independent Panel Report Into Fans’ Experiences Before, During and After the 2022 Champions League Final in Paris was put together by Hillsborough campaigner Professor Phil Scraton, Deena Haydon, Lucy Easthope, Patricia Canning and Peter Marshall.

The report's 53 findings focus on policing, pre-match preparation, fans’ experiences and UEFA’s role and responsibilities.

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