© 2026 WGCU News
News for all of Southwest Florida
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Champions League final marred by delays and use of tear gas on fans

NPR
Published May 29, 2022 at 5:21 AM EDT
Fans climb on the fence in front of the Stade de France prior to the Champions League final soccer match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, in Saint Denis near Paris, Saturday, May 28, 2022.
Christophe Ena
/
AP
Fans climb on the fence in front of the Stade de France prior to the Champions League final soccer match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, in Saint Denis near Paris, Saturday, May 28, 2022.

The soccer Champions League final in Paris was marred as Liverpool fans were sprayed with tear gas as they tried to enter the stadium, delaying the start of the match by 35 minutes. Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 to win their record 14th title.

Liverpool player Andy Robertson called the events a "shambles", saying players' friends and family had been affected by the chaotic scenes.

"It was horrendous for our fans and all families that have been through it as well. It wasn't a nice experience, not a nice final to come to. The Champions League should be a celebration but it wasn't that.

"Obviously the final wasn't meant to be here and whether the preparations were not as good as maybe they should have been but I am sure in the coming days an inquest will go into that" he told the BBC.

Organising body UEFA claimed the delay was caused by fans trying to use fake tickets to enter the stadium. "In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands of fans who had purchased fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles" they said. "This created a buildup of fans trying to get in. As a result, the kickoff was delayed by 35 minutes to allow as many fans as possible with genuine tickets to gain access."

They went on: "As numbers outside the stadium continued to build up after kickoff, the police dispersed them with tear gas and forced them away from the stadium."

However, Robertson cast doubt on this version of events, saying he had given a friend a real ticket which officials claimed was fake fake. "One of my mates got told it was a fake which I assure you it wasn't," he said.

Others suggested a system failure on the part of organisers, with thousands of fans left outside the stadium before kick off time. The match was moved to Paris' Stade de France from St. Petersburg after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Liverpool Football club issued a statement on the incident. "We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter that Liverpool fans faced this evening at Stade de France" it said.

"This is the greatest match in European football and supporters should not have to experience the scenes we have witnessed tonight.

"We have officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable issues."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
National News
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • Lee County School Board members discuss hiring a new board attorney.
    Education
    Lee school board to hire one attorney, and soon another
    Dayna Harpster
    Tuesday the school board is set to hire Robert Dodig, currently interim, as board attorney, soon to be followed by a chief staff attorney, a new position.
  • Australian pines may provide shade along the shoreline, but the invasive species also crowds out necessary native species, contributes to erosion, and is easier to topple than other trees in a storm.
    Environment
    Captiva residents urged to allow free removal of Australian pines, green iguanas
    Tom Bayles
    Captiva Island residents have been urged to allow free removal of Australian pines and green iguanas through a grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
  • Environment
    Introduction to Spanish Moss
    Dr. Jerry Jackson
    Spanish Moss is familiar to anyone who has visited Florida. It can appear anywhere as a result of the wind dispersing its seeds as it does the seeds of dandelions. But development of the draping clusters of Spanish Moss depends on the seed landing in the right place – on a horizontal limb of a rough-barked tree near water or in a very humid environment. Most Spanish Moss plants only grow to a bit over a foot long, but as they reproduce, one plant becomes many plants linked together by their limb-like scaly-surfaced leaves.There is safety and a future for the plants in such a mass. The cluster of plants holds moisture in – allowing them to survive dry times and also facilitating pollination as insects move from a flower on one plant to a flower on another in the cluster. A mass of Spanish Moss plants appears gray during dry times as the plant shrinks, but is green in appearance as rains allow the plant to swell with water and expose bare areas between the scales.