Tom Werner, chairman of Liverpool Football Club, demanded an apology from France for the chaos at the Stade de France Champions League final. Jostling, attempted intrusion of individuals without tickets, supporters - even children - shocked at the intervention by the police or victims.
The Paris final of the European championship, which was won by Real Madrid (1-0) against Liverpool (1-0), saw scenes of chaos and disorder around the Stade de France. However, no serious injuries were sustained. Amelie Oudea–Castera, the French Sports Minister, accused Liverpool of "leaving its supporters in the wild" unlike Real Madrid which was there from beginning to end. French authorities also accused Liverpool supporters of committing "massive fraud" in the purchase of fake tickets. This version leaves doubters across the Channel.
Tom Werner wrote a letter to Minister OudeaCastera, which was published by the Liverpool Echo. He expressed his "utter disbelief that Minister OudeaCastera would make a series of unproven claims on a topic of such import," even though an independent investigation had not been conducted.
"Your comments were irresponsible and unprofessional, and completely disrespectful towards the thousands of physically or emotionally hurt fans," he said, adding that he had received many emails from "scared-to-death" supporters, and decrying "a strategy to blame and blaming others through press conferences". "On behalf all the victims of this nightmare, I request an apology and the assurances that the French authorities as well as UEFA will permit an independent and transparent investigation."
