Čeferin says sorry after chaos of Champions League final in Paris and accepts problems in Istanbul
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin apologized to soccer fans on Thursday after the chaotic security failures that caused a near-disaster at the Champions League final in Paris last year.
The head of European soccer’s governing body also admitted to further problems experienced by supporters at this year’s final, which was held in Istanbul earlier this month.
Speaking at the European Football Fans’ Congress in Manchester, Čeferin accepted there is still work to be done to improve the treatment of supporters.
“We would love to erase events that happened last year from our memories,” he said. “Last year everyone welcomed our decision to move the finals from St. Petersburg to Paris and in the end we all know what happened. Good intentions are many times not enough and we know that and we are sorry for that.”
Investigators held UEFA mostly responsible for the failed security operation at the 2022 Champions League final that put the lives of Liverpool and Real Madrid fans at risk.
Tens of thousands of fans were held in increasingly crushed queues for hours before the game at the 75,000-capacity Stade de France. Many fans were fired on with tear gas by police.
In Istanbul, fans complained about transport to and from the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, with some not being able to get back to their hotels until 3 a.m. local time.
“On the whole this year’s finals in Budapest, Prague, Eindhoven and indeed Helsinki went well,” Čeferin said. “They proved that we have learned from past mistakes. We are well aware that in Istanbul not everything was perfect. And I am certainly not playing down the problems encountered by some.
“But let us continue working together to improve what can we improve. I’m thinking in particular transport links to and from (the) stadium, the hosting of the stadium supporters and access to water and toilets for everyone. I can assure you that next year’s Champions League final at Wembley and Euro 2024 in Germany will be a unique experience for fans.”
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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