Champions League final chaos: "That was the point where it got completely out of control."

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Scenes in front of the Stade de France:

Photo: Christophe Ena / dpa

There were chaotic scenes in Paris: the kick-off of the Champions League final between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid was delayed for more than 30 minutes.

Pictures showed men climbing over the fences to the Stade de France, police spraying tear gas at Liverpool fans and confrontations at the gates.

Police reported more than 100 arrests and 230 injuries around the final.

But many backgrounds are still unclear, the work has only just begun.

Views differ: France's Sport Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said the problems were caused by Liverpool fans without tickets or with invalid tickets.

The European football union Uefa also gave this reason for the chaotic conditions on Sunday.

According to the minister, the situation was exacerbated by the fact that young people from the Saint-Denis district tried to mingle with the fans and get into the stadium.

"When there are so many people in front of the entrance to the stadium, there are people trying to get through the doors of the Stade de France," said Oudea-Castera: "And a certain number of young people from the area who were there, tried to blend in with the crowd.”

Fan criticism of the police operation

Fan representatives criticize a one-sided representation of Uefa and the French officials.

The fans are "not to blame," said the organization "Football Supporters Europe" (FSE), which the Merseyside Police confirmed: The supporters had behaved "exemplarily," said officials who traveled as observers.

FSE officials denounced the "questionable rumours" about false tickets.

They see other factors as the cause of the chaos: fans were sent to the wrong entrances, ticket controls were closed, the police were inexperienced and unguided.

"I really don't understand how they [the security officials] could mess things up so much," lawyer Pierre Barthulemy, a board member of FSE, told DW.

The Liverpool fans would have stood for a long time in a small passage next to a dual carriageway, where they had been led from the train station.

At some point, the police decided to abandon the first checkpoint.

Then "people without tickets from the neighborhood" came and decided to climb over the fences.

"That was the point where it got completely out of hand." According to DW, numerous Liverpool fans corroborated this portrayal.

»We are not ready for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris«

In Great Britain there is sharp criticism of the actions of the security forces.

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan called the treatment of Liverpool fans, some of whom were pepper sprayed by French police, unacceptable.

Secretary of State Chris Philp was shocked by the pictures.

"I was appalled to see these images of fans, including children and disabled fans, being pepper sprayed by French police," said Philip. "The images I have seen show that there is no apparent justification for this behavior.« Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson criticized the actions of the police as »extremely disgusting«.

Liverpool managing director Hogan, but also the British sports minister Nadine Dorries asked Uefa to initiate an investigation.

The football association had already announced on Sunday that it wanted to investigate the incidents together with the French authorities and the French football association.

"We have to clarify the facts," the British ambassador in Paris, Menna Rawlings, had demanded.

The events surrounding the final are raising concerns about hosting the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

MEP Nathalie Loiseau, a member of President Emmanuel Macron's party, wrote on Twitter: "Brawls at the Stade de France, brawls in bars, green spaces turned into rubbish... One statement: we are not ready for the Olympics 2024 in Paris.«

bka/dpa/Reuters