Liverpool have asked UEFA for the recommendations of a report which found the governing body “primarily responsible” for the “near miss” in last year’s Champions League final in Paris.
UEFA commissioned an independent review after the dangerous scenes at Liverpool’s match with Real Madrid at the Stade de France in May, with England fans targeted with tear gas by French police as they struggled to enter the venue.
European football’s governing body initially blamed delays caused by thousands of supporters using “fake tickets”, with French government figures pushing a similar story.
The results of the review were published on Monday, and UEFA is responsible as event organizer while also criticizing the actions of the French Football Federation and the police.
The report outlined 21 recommendations to avoid similar incidents in the future, including putting safety and security at the forefront of planning and managing games with a “facilitation and service” approach to supporters, rather than watching them as a public order problem. .
Liverpool urged UEFA to take note of the report on Tuesday, saying: “Liverpool FC welcomes the report of chaos at the UEFA Champions League final in Paris, which is a real safeguard for Liverpool fans and UEFA being found primarily responsible for organizational failures.
“We call on UEFA to fully enact the recommendations set out by the panel – no matter how difficult – to ensure the safety of supporters is the number one priority at the heart of every game.
“Even before the delayed kick-off was announced, we asked UEFA’s top officials to delay the kick-off and take control of the chaos. We also asked UEFA to launch a fully independent and transparent investigation.
“We knew it was vital to understand why both Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters were in a situation where their safety was at risk.
“Horrible false stories were introduced immediately after that night in Paris; stories that have since been completely unconfirmed.
“It is astonishing that, more than 30 years after the Hillsborough disaster, any club and our group of fans would be subject to fundamental safety failings which had such a devastating impact on so many.
“But even more worrying is the realization that Paris has only made their suffering worse for the families, friends and survivors of Hillsborough.
“As a football club with a proud history in Europe, we call on UEFA to do the right thing and implement the 21 recommendations to ensure the safety of all football supporters attending any UEFA football match in the future.”