London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 26, 2026

Champions League final: UK calls for investigation into Paris stadium chaos

Champions League final: UK calls for investigation into Paris stadium chaos

The UK's culture secretary has urged Uefa to formally investigate "deeply concerning" scenes which delayed the start of the Champions League final.

French police have been criticised for firing tear gas and pepper spray at some Liverpool fans waiting to get in to the stadium in Paris on Saturday.

Nadine Dorries said it was in everyone's interest to "learn lessons".

European football's governing body Uefa has said it will "review these matters urgently".

The French sports ministry has called a meeting with Uefa, the French Football Association, stadium officials and police on Monday to "draw lessons" from the event.

French interior minister Gérald Darmanin appeared to lay the blame on British supporters, tweeting on Saturday that thousands were without proper tickets and had forced entry, while claiming some had assaulted stewards.

The kick-off at the Stade de France was delayed by 36 minutes, with Uefa initially citing the "late arrival" of fans.

But many Liverpool supporters spoke of long queues in the hours leading up to the game and a heavy-handed police response to the build-up of fans.

Uefa later put the delay down to "security reasons" and said the turnstiles at the Liverpool end had become "blocked by thousands of fans who had purchased fake tickets which did not work".

Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in the final.

Tom Whitehurst said after arriving at the ground, he had to get his disabled son "out of the way" after they were pepper-sprayed.

"The treatment of supporters by Uefa and the police was an absolute disgrace," he said.

"[Fans] were indiscriminately pepper-sprayed and there were people with tickets, who arrived two-and-a-half hours early, who were queuing up and they were charged at by riot police with shields."

Merseyside Police said its officers who were deployed in Paris and attended the match "reported the vast majority of fans behaved in an exemplary manner, arriving at turnstiles early and queuing as directed".

Paris police said they made 105 arrests at the game, with 39 people still in custody.

Witnesses said crowds were targeted with tear gas as they waited to get into the stadium


Liverpool fan Michael Carter told the BBC that families and children were among those being pepper sprayed, with no explanation from officials.

"We're throwing water on the kids trying to get the spray off them, we're running to a bar getting glasses of water... and then we put it on ourselves because we couldn't breathe," he said.

Elsewhere, he said people were lifting each other over the walls as they were being crushed.

Near the stadium's entrance, he said "the atmosphere just turned - all of our lads were like 'I don't care about the result' - we just felt unsafe".

"I was scared I wasn't even going to make it into the game," he said.

Liverpool FC also called for an investigation into the event, and said they would be asking fans to contact them directly with their experiences.

Speaking after the game, Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said he had given a ticket to a friend who was then denied entry.

He said his friend "got told it was a fake, which I assure you it wasn't".

"It was a shambles really."

Meanwhile, Suzanne, from Liverpool, said her experience at the game was "really traumatic".

"The way this event was being policed was all wrong and incredibly dangerous," she said, describing being sent through an underpass into a "complete bottleneck".

Her sister was searched eight times, but once they arrived in the stadium two hours before kick off she said the Liverpool side was empty.
Suzanne and her sister said they didn't feel safe at the game


She and her sister decided to leave just before full time, saying: "We didn't feel safe. We ran all the way to the station... there was tear gas everywhere, your throat was so sore and your eyes hurt."

Several people, including Suzanne and former Liverpool defender Jim Beglin, also said groups of locals were mugging fans after they left the stadium.

Ms Dorries, who runs the government department in charge of UK sport, said: "The footage and accounts from Liverpool fans and the media on their entry to the Stade de France last night are deeply concerning.

"Thousands of ticket holders travelled to Paris in good time to support their team in the biggest match of their season.

"I urge Uefa to launch a formal investigation into what went wrong and why, in coordination with stadium staff, the French Police, Federation Francaise de Football, Merseyside Police and Liverpool Football Club."


WATCH: Liverpool fans were tear gassed by police ahead of the Champions League Final


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Consumer Confidence Tumbles Amid Rising Energy Costs and Global Commodity Price Pressures
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Production from Jackdaw Gas Field to Bolster Domestic Energy Security
Storm Boelo Leaves Tens of Thousands of Households Without Power Across Scotland and Northern Ireland
UK Government Launches National Be Ready Campaign Urging Households to Prepare Three Days of Emergency Supplies
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Implements Stricter Water Quality Regulations for British Rivers
Welsh Government Launches Major Renewable Energy Initiative to Expand Offshore Wind Capacity Along the Coast
Northern Ireland Executive Reaches Final Agreement on Comprehensive Regional Infrastructure Modernization Plan
Office for National Statistics Reports Moderate Increase in British Retail Sales Driven by Autumn Discounts
Scottish First Minister Announces Emergency Housing Strategy to Tackle Severe Homelessness Across Urban Centers
Automotive Industry Leaders in the United Kingdom Urge Government Support for Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Transition
United Kingdom and European Union Initiate High-Level Negotiations on Post-Brexit Defense and Security Pact
National Health Service England Introduces Sweeping Digital Reforms to Reduce Hospital Waiting Lists Nationwide
Chancellor of the Exchequer Outlines Emergency Fiscal Measures to Address Local Government Funding Crises Across England
Bank of England Governor Warns of Persistent Inflation Pressures Impacting Interest Rate Decisions in the United Kingdom
UK Conservative Party Suspends Former Electoral Candidate Following Undercover Investigation
Actors and Writers Condemn British Anti Terror Legislation Targeting Activist Groups and Free Speech
Central Bank and Treasury Monitor Inflation Risks as International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast
Storm Boelo Batters British Isles With Eighty Mile Per Hour Winds Causing Widespread Power Outages
British Intelligence Services and Technology Firms Partner to Counter Artificial Intelligence Enabled Cybersecurity Threats
UK Consumer Confidence Falls at Fastest Rate Since Brexit Vote as Cost of Living Intensifies
Chancellor John Healey Prepares Landmark Autumn Budget Focused on Devolution and Fiscal Rules
Northern Ireland Executive Ministers Reach Consensus on Shared Economic Development Priorities to Stimulate Regional Growth in Belfast
Department for Business and Trade Finalizes Conditional Support Package for Advanced Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities in Newport
Welsh Government Unveils Regional Industrial Development Strategy to Attract Green Energy Investment to South Wales Manufacturing Hubs
Foreign Secretary David Lammy Concludes Diplomatic Mission to European Capital Cities to Strengthen Post-Brexit Defense Cooperation
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Implements Stricter Regulatory Compliance Standards for Water Utilities Across England
Office for National Statistics Reports Moderate Wage Growth Stabilization and Resilient Employment Figures Across the United Kingdom
Scottish Government and Trade Union Representatives Reach Tentative Pay Agreement for Public Sector Transport Workers in Edinburgh
National Health Service England Announces Emergency Capital Funding Allocation to Reduce Winter Emergency Department Bottlenecks
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Signals Cautious Approach to Interest Rate Reductions Amid Persistent Inflation Pressures
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Treasury Officials Finalize Urgent Fiscal Adjustments Ahead of Upcoming National Budget
Tour de France Organizers Confirm Historic Grand Depart Featuring Edinburgh and Yorkshire Stages
National Cyber Security Centre Issues Urgent Alerts Following Global Security Vulnerability in Core Programming Software
Independent Energy Analysts Warn Great Britain Faces Highest Winter Power Tariffs in Europe
Major British Defense Contractors Commit to Delivering Forty Thousand New Apprenticeships and Training Placements
New Bradford Railway Station Infrastructure Project Approved to Transform Regional Transit Connectivity Across Northern England
Welsh Infrastructure Stakeholders Press Government for Accelerated Local Sourcing in Military and Uniform Manufacturing
Scottish Council Governance Crisis Triggers High-Court Legal Challenge Over Leadership Ouster Bid
High Street Bakery Chain Greggs Announces Major Factory Closures and Seven Hundred Job Cuts
Automotive Manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover Advances Advanced Defense Technology Partnership with European Allies
Treasury and Bank of England Officials Signal Persistent Concern Over Inflation-Driven Interest Rate Path
International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast While Issuing Inflation Warnings
National Health Service Leaders Warn of Severe Capacity Pressures as Early Winter Respiratory Infections Surge
Government Issues Emergency Resilience Guidance Advising All British Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Private Sector Growth Beats Expectations in October Driven by Resilient Services and Manufacturing
Barclays to Cut Five Thousand Jobs in Major Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Cost-Cutting Overhaul
Piper Tomahawk Aircraft Crash Near Drymen in Stirling Claims Two Lives as Investigators Deploy
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Jackdaw Gas Field Production After Ministerial Authorization
Government Injects One Hundred and Forty Million Pounds to Expand Urgent Care Ahead of Winter Crisis
Department of Health Warns Further Pay Rises Will Derail National Health Service Waiting List Targets
×