Real Madrid rejected UEFA’s “insufficient” and “restricted” offer of compensation for supporters affected by the trouble outside the Stade de France in Paris during last season’s Champions League final. The European champions, who won the trophy in the chaos‑hit final against Liverpool on 28 May 2022, said they would not cooperate with the governing body’s plan.
UEFA announced on Tuesday that it would reimburse all Liverpool supporters, as well as other spectators who were affected by the incident that delayed the kick‑off by 37 minutes while fans struggled to enter the stadium. In a statement, Madrid said: “Regrettably, our club believes that UEFA’s proposal, officially announced last Tuesday, is insufficient. It merely consists of the reimbursement of the ticket price, which is also subject to the fulfilment of a series of requirements, including providing proof of the time of access to the stadium.”
An independent report heavily criticised UEFA for the events that occurred outside the stadium. Madrid added that, given “the conclusiveness of the experts’ findings,” it had expected compensation commensurate with the seriousness of the events and UEFA’s culpability. “All the fans experienced an unacceptable delay at the start of the match,” the club continued. “In addition, there was unacceptable insecurity both in accessing and leaving the stadium, as well as additional harm such as theft, assaults and threats.”
For these reasons, Real Madrid has decided not to cooperate with the restricted compensation procedure proposed by UEFA and calls on the organization to redress the situation and assume full responsibility. The club said it would assist supporters who suffered any kind of harm at the game in making appropriate claims against UEFA.
UEFA initially tried to pin the blame for the chaos on Liverpool fans arriving late, despite thousands being held for hours outside the stadium before kick‑off. A Liverpool fans’ group, Spirit of Shankly, later said fans were left “fearing for their life” in a “maelstrom of chaos and alarm.” The Spirit of Shankly and the Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association welcomed the decision to reimburse supporters but said it did not go far enough. Lawyers for hundreds of Liverpool fans also said they would continue to pursue legal action against UEFA.
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