Mueez Ajao
– The Champions League final in Paris this year has unfortunately been remembered for reasons beyond what happened on the pitch, where Real Madrid won their 14th European crown.
– Instead, the lasting memory of the occasion was the police’s treatment of Liverpool supporters as they sought to enter and exit the stadium, both before and after the match. Kick off was even delayed as a result.
– Now, almost two months after that night on May 28, chief of police Didier Lallement has left his position. He claims that he himself “is still hurt” by the events of the night and as a result of the mistakes he and his colleagues made.
Also Read: Paris police chief sorry for tear gassing Liverpool fans
– The 65-year-old has accepted full responsibility for the police’s mismanagement of the situation, when they had tried to put blame onto fans of Liverpool for arriving at the Stade de France without tickets.
– It was even claimed that as many as 30,000 fake tickets were in circulation. Police sprayed Liverpool fans with tear gas and bottlenecked large groups on arrival to the area around the stadium.
– According to a report by the French senate, Liverpool fans were unfairly blamed for what happened, which has seen criticism aimed at Gerald Darmanin, France’s Minister of the Interior.
– “I’m still hurt by the failure of that night at the Stade de France,” Lallement said in a letter published by AFP. “That night we saved lives, but the country’s reputation was damaged.
– “The French flag was sullied and that gives me pain, it’s a responsibility that I must assumed.
– “I’m aware that people, in good faith, were gassed, including families. I’m sorry, but there were no other means. The only way was to gas people, I asked that it be used.”
