Liverpool chairman demands apology for French minister's comments

French Sports and Olympic Games Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera arrives to attend the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new government at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France May 23, 2022. REUTERS

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has demanded an apology from the French sports minister after she said that fans with fake tickets and the club's handling of their supporters were responsible for the trouble that marred the Champions League final last Saturday (May 28).

The match at the Stade de France, which Real Madrid won 1-0, was delayed by more than half an hour after police tried to hold off people trying to force their way into the ground. Some fans, including children, were tear-gassed by French riot police.

On Monday, sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said that the initial problems were caused by Liverpool fans without valid tickets and accused the club of letting their supporters "out in the wild".

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin added that there had been a "massive (ticket) fraud on an industrial scale".

Werner hit back late on Monday in a letter to Oudea-Castera, describing her comments as "irresponsible, unprofessional, and wholly disrespectful" to the fans affected.

"The UEFA Champions League final should be one of the finest spectacles in world sport, and instead it devolved into one of the worst security collapses in recent memory," Werner was quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo newspaper.

"On behalf of all the fans who experienced this nightmare I demand an apology from you, and assurance that the French authorities and UEFA allow an independent and transparent investigation to proceed."

UEFA has commissioned an independent inquiry into the incident while Oudea-Castera said that they would produce a report within 10 days.

In an interview with the Liverpool website, CEO Billy Hogan said that the club was also reviewing legal options available to it on behalf of its supporters.