Liverpool fans with official tickets for last season’s Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris will be given full refunds by UEFA following chaotic scenes outside the Stade de France which saw hundreds of fans miss the game.
UEFA has announced that all 19,618 tickets, which make up Liverpool’s official allocation, can be refunded. Madrid fans who face delays outside the Stade de France can also file a claim for a refund.
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An independent inquiry last month found UEFA to be largely responsible for crowd management failures that led to the disaster outside the stadium.
Despite UEFA’s initial claim that “late fan arrivals” contributed to a 38-minute delay to kick-off in the French capital, Liverpool fans were found not to be to blame for the large crowds and congestion.
Claims by French authorities that “thousands” of fake tickets had caused problems outside the stadium – with French police firing tear gas at supporters queuing to get through the turnstiles – were also played down by an independent investigation.
In an unprecedented move that sources have told ESPN will cost UEFA “millions”, European football’s governing body has confirmed it has opened up a system for fans to get refunds on tickets for the Paris match.
“UEFA will introduce a special refund scheme for fans most affected when entering the Stade de France on 28 May 2022,” UEFA said in a statement.
“Refunds will be available to all fans with tickets for gates A, B, C, X, Y and Z, where the worst conditions have been reported. In addition, all fans who have not entered the stadium according to access control data before 9 p.m. CEST [the originally scheduled kickoff time]or those unable to enter the stadium at all will be entitled to a refund.
Finally, UEFA is offering refunds to all fans who have purchased accessibility tickets with accompanying persons. Taking these criteria into account, the special refund scheme covers the entire Liverpool FC ticket allocation for the final, i.e. 19,618 tickets.”
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Commenting on the special refund scheme, UEFA General Secretary Theodor Theodoridis said: “We have taken into account the many comments that have been made publicly and privately and we believe that we have developed a comprehensive and fair scheme.
“We value the feedback from Liverpool FC fans and the Spirit of Shankly organisations [SoS] and Liverpool Disability Supporters Association (LDSA) as well as open and transparent dialogue during this period.
“We recognize the negative experience fans had on the day and through this scheme we will refund those fans who purchased tickets and were most affected by the difficulties in getting into the stadium.”
