A monthslong independent investigation into the dangerous overcrowding that jeopardized the safety of thousands of fans at last year’s Champions League final in Paris has placed the blame squarely on European soccer’s governing body, which organized the game.
That no lives were lost in the crushes outside the stadium gates, the investigators’ harshly critical report concluded, was only “a matter of chance.”The investigation was commissioned last year by the governing body it eventually faulted, UEFA, and was the product of dozens of interviews and the review of hours of video shot by fans.
It concluded that senior officials responsible for security and planning for the game, the highlight of the European soccer calendar, made numerous mistakes in preparations for the matchup between Liverpool and Real Madrid, and then tried to shift responsibility onto fans for the congestion that had put their safety — and potentially their lives — at risk.
“It is remarkable,” the report said, “that no one lost their life.”The report also raised new concerns about security preparations for next year’s Paris Olympics, with its authors describing events around the Champions League final as a “wake-up call” for Olympic organizers.
The panel said evidence collected from Michel Cadot, the French government official responsible for major sporting events, suggested there remained “a misconception about what actually happened and a complacency regarding what needs to change.”