Committee labels treatment of Liverpool fans 'disgraceful' during Champions League Final in France

A report on the safety of sporting events has called the French authorities treatment of Liverpool fans as "disgraceful", while also calling for new laws to prevent future disruption.

The Department of Culture, Media, and Sport committee's report suggests that the French police's attitude toward British football fans heavily contributed to the chaotic scenes at the 2022 Champions League Final, in which 238 people were injured.

The report also found that the French police's attempts to blame Liverpool fans for the chaos only made the situation worse.

The committee suggests that, to avoid future issues, more British police officers should travel with fans and collaborate with local forces.

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the CMS Committee, said: "At big games in Europe, too often the attitude of foreign police to British fans leads to unacceptable treatment of innocent supporters.

"The Government needs to work with overseas counterparts to bolster the role of British police travelling with teams and collaboration with local forces.”

The chaos in Paris has been compared to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which police incompetence contributed to a human crush that claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans.

The report also looked into the disorder at the 2021 Euro final match between Italy and England at Wembley stadium.

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP said: “Fans flocking to festive fixtures at this time of year should be able to enjoy time with family and friends in sports grounds that are secure, inclusive and welcoming environments.

"Sadly, the rise in disorder at football post-pandemic and near disasters that occurred at Wembley and in Paris have shown there is much to be done to ensure a safe time for all. The Government, police, clubs and governing bodies all have a role to play."

As well as recommending more collaboration between police forces, the committee also recommended new laws making unauthorised entry to a football match a criminal offence.

The report warned that the lack of a distinct criminal penalty is allowing the practice to continue seemingly unchallenged, and urged the Government to implement the recommendations.

The committee also recommended more work needed to be done to prevent Class A drugs from getting into football stadiums, as the report suggests there has been an increase in substance abuse at matches in recent years.

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