The Week Junior - UK (2022-06-11)

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EFA, the governing body of European football, has

apologised to Liverpool and Real Madrid fans for

their treatment at the recent Champions League final

at the Stade de France stadium in Paris, France.

What happened at the final?

Liverpool faced Spanish club Real Madrid on 28 May

in the final of the men’s Champions League, the

biggest match of the year in European football. Real

Madrid won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Vinícius Júnior,

but it was events before kick-off that dominated the

evening. The match was delayed by more than half an

hour because many fans were still trying get into the

stadium. People were crushed in overcrowded spaces

as police officers held them back from entering the

Stade de France. Tear gas (a chemical that makes your

eyes sting) was sprayed at fans by riot police. Lots of

supporters didn’t make it in at all, and thieves stole

belongings from some of the fans.

What was it like for fans?

Billy Hogan, the chief executive officer at Liverpool FC,

said he was “horrified” by the thousands of reports he

had heard from supporters. Some said they feared a

repeat of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster (see panel).

The Week Junior reader, Aarav, shared his experience

of trying to get into the stadium. He said he was

very excited before the match, until he arrived to see

“a huge build-up of people rounded up like cows

in a cattle farm”. Being in the crowd became so

frightening that “what was supposed to

be the best experience ever became

the worst day ever”. Aarav says he

took comfort from the kindness

of Liverpool fans, who helped

to protect him and other young

supporters. “We Liverpool fans

say ‘You’ll never walk alone’ for

a reason,” Aarav said.

What has UEFA said?

At first, UEFA blamed the delay on

Liverpool fans arriving late to the stadium. Later,

it said it was caused by “security reasons”. It claimed

that stadium entrance gates used by Liverpool

supporters had become “blocked by thousands of

fans who had purchased fake tickets which did not

work”. This response was heavily criticised and since

then UEFA has announced that there will be an

independent investigation into what happened at

the match, to find out what lessons can be learned.

After that, UEFA issued an apology to supporters of

Liverpool and Real Madrid. “No football fan should be

put in that situation,” UEFA said. “And it must not

happen again.”

What was the reaction?

Former Liverpool player and

manager Sir Kenny Dalglish said

the apology was “a start” but

that there was “still a long way

to go”. He said the apology didn’t

cover issues such as “the false

message about the late kick-off”.

It isn’t only Liverpool who are angry

• Real Madrid issued a statement saying,
  “We call for answers and explanations in
  order to determine those responsible for leaving the
  fans abandoned and defenceless.” French president
  Emmanuel Macron called for ticket holders who were
  blocked from entering the stadium by security staff to
  be given their money back “as fast as possible”.

UEFA sorry for Champions League chaos

In 1989, Liverpool faced

Nottingham Forest in the

semi-final of the FA Cup at

Hillsborough stadium in

Sheffield, England. Police

mistakes caused severe

overcrowding in the standing-

only area of the Liverpool end

of the stadium. This caused a

crush that led to 97 deaths and

hundreds of injuries. Families

and survivors campaigned

for justice for many decades.

Hillsborough led to changes to

football safety rules, including

all-seater stadiums, and it is

still the worst disaster in UK

sporting history.

What was the

Hillsborough disaster?

Many Liverpool fans with tickets were

unable to get into the stadium.

Aarav

in Paris.

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Families fought

for justice.

This week’s big news

The Week Junior • 11 June 2022