Hundreds injured, 68 arrested in Paris on margins of Champions League final
Ticketless fans and ones holding fakes disrupted entry to stadium, causing nearly an hour delay in start to Liverpool-Real Madrid match
Nearly 68 people were arrested and over 200 injured in chaos outside the Paris venue of the Champions League final, causing a delay in the start of the Liverpool-Real Madrid match on Saturday evening, according to Paris police.
The police said many supporters without tickets or holding fakes disrupted access and tried to forcefully enter the Stade de France stadium, breaking the security cordon, said a police statement.
As the police intervened to clear the ticketless mob, spraying tear gas, official ticket holders were stuck in queues for hours. The match was delayed by 35 minutes due to clashes by the unruly crowd.
The Liverpool club has officially requested a formal investigation into the breakdown of security.
In the course of the evening, some 238 people were reported for minor injuries, the city’s fire department said. There were no other major incidents around the stadium or in the two fan zones set up to accommodate ticketless fans from the two clubs.
Some 100,000 Spanish and British fans were reportedly in Paris to witness the epic final, which Real Madrid won, 1-0.
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