Liverpool MP urges Government to take action over Champions League final

A Liverpool MP is urging the Government to make sure action is taken after Liverpool fans were caught up in chaos at last year's Champions League Final.

The Government says it is pressing UEFA for timely action after a damning independent report into the scenes in Paris, which saw fans tear gassed and crushed.Ian Byrne MP, who attended the Paris final, told a parliamentary debate that people would have died if it was not for the quick thinking of fans.

The MP for Liverpool West Derby, who is also a survivor of the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy, said: “Can I impress the importance that whoever ends up in that final – and hopefully it’s Liverpool – can they make sure that the fans have got a voice around the shape of what that final will look like, proper engagement because they’re the ones that go to matches, they’re the ones that have got the experience.

“They don’t get listened to enough. We didn’t get listened to in Paris…lots of times our voices aren’t heard.

“So it’s really important that we get a commitment from the Government to ensure that whoever is in that final, those supporters will be sat down at the organisational table and listened to.”

Sports minister Stuart Andrew pledged to examine what input supporters could have for the event when it takes place in London on June 1 next year given the failures which affected Liverpool supporters at the 2021/22 final.

He said Liverpool fans were subjected to “appalling mismanagement” in Paris and commended them for their behaviour.

He also said Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer will meet French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera “in the coming weeks” to discuss the French government’s response to the independent review.

Mr Andrew told MPs: “It is vital that lessons are learnt from this near-disaster and action is taken to prevent it from happening again.

“UEFA has recognised that they made a series of mistakes in their handling of the event and have apologised to fans who attended.

“In consultation with the FA, my department is in touch with UEFA to understand how they intend to respond to the review and press for timely action in responding to the specific recommendations which have been set out in the report.

“I welcome UEFA’s commitment to implement those recommendations, their engagement with fans’ groups last week and the further apology offered by their general secretary.

“It’s vital UEFA continues this dialogue with supporter organisations and that an action plan is published as quickly as possible.”

UEFA has issued an apology to Liverpool fans after it initially blamed them for creating the chaos by arriving late, and in some cases with counterfeit tickets.

The independent report said those initial accusations were “manifestly inaccurate”.

Mr Byrne said Liverpool fans had refused to be beaten by “lies and smears” which were “straight from the Hillsborough playbook”.

He added: “We need the FA to provide leadership and show courage to ensure that our demands regarding Paris are met in the halls of Uefa.”

Mr Byrne urged the UK Government to “keep the political pressure” on French president Emmanuel Macron and Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin to “ensure a full apology is made and the recommendations of the report are met”.

Knowsley's MP Sir George Howarth said: “UEFA and the French authorities now need to be held accountable for their failures to properly manage that event and for all of the risks that ensued from that.”