An ugly scene unfolded outside the Stade de France prior to tonight’s UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. Footage on Twitter show fans without tickets scaling the fences outside the stadium to get it, while other fans were climbing over each other just to get over a gate. There were also reports of fans being funneled into tight quarters and crushing each other, while other innocent fans with tickets were being pepper sprayed by police.
All of the chaos caused a massive delay for fans attempting to get into the stadium to watch the match, causing officials to delay the game from a 9:00 pm kickoff (local time), to 9:36 pm.
Footage had surfaced early on of fans without tickets hopping over a large fence and rushing past security to get into the stadium.
Another clip from prior to the game shows Liverpool fans literally climbing over each other in order to get over a barrier and avoid being crushed by the giant wave of fans behind them.
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Meanwhile, reports from other areas outside the stadium claimed that poor crowd control was causing thousands of fans to be dangerously funneled into tight quarters.
Other reports were claiming that even in the peaceful areas where fans with tickets were trying to get in, police were using pepper spray to contain the crowds. In some cases, young fans and elders were being hit with the tear gas or pepper spray.
This must be a frustrating situation for the fans who spent thousands of dollars to watch their club, only the be stuck outside the stadium, either getting squished or pepper sprayed for their troubles.
French police released the following statement (via ESPN):
“Supporters attempted to penetrate the stadium. They forced their way through the first filter. The screening at the Stade de France is watertight.
“We have intervened to push back fans trying to force their way through.”
Approximately 15 minutes prior to kickoff, UEFA announced that they would be delaying the start of the game due to “security reasons.”
The game had to be delayed a second time, as the two teams eventually kicked off at 21:36 CET.
It’s an awful look for stadium organizers and UEFA, who clearly weren’t properly prepared for today’s big event.
