UEFA set to refund Liverpool fans after Paris UCL final havoc

European football’s governing body UEFA have confirmed that they will refund 19,618 Liverpool fans who attended last year’s Champions League final in Paris after an independent report cleared Reds fans from culpability and squarely put the blame at UEFA’s door.

The showpiece final between the English side and LaLiga giants Real Madrid was delayed for more than half an hour with thousands of Liverpool supporters were unable to get into the Stade de France.

UEFA confirmed that refunds will be available to all Liverpool fans who held tickets for gates A, B, C, X, Y and Z where the most difficult circumstances were reported. The add that any fans who failed to secure access to he stadium before 21:00 CEST (the originally scheduled kick-off time), or who were not able to enter the stadium at all, will be eligible for a refund.

During the pre-game chaos outside the Stade de France, French police were filmed using tear gas on fans, including women and children. Although UEFA initially blamed the Merseyside club’s fans for the mayhem, the governing body later apologised following the release of an independent review.

‘Comprehensive and fair’

Commenting on the special refund scheme, UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis said:

“We have taken into account a huge number of views expressed both publicly and privately and we believe we have devised a scheme that is comprehensive and fair. We value the input from the Liverpool FC supporter organisations Spirit of Shankly (SoS) and Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association (LDSA) as well as the open and transparent dialogue throughout this period.

Both the fan groups cited by UEFA welcomed the initiative but added: “with a promise to reimburse supporters, UEFA have gone some way to acknowledge their part in the fiasco,” they said.

“But it does not excuse UEFA, exempt them from criticism or lessen the need for them to implement all of the recommendations made by the independent inquiry.”

UEFA’s bill

Four price categories for final tickets were available pre-game: Category 4: €70 Category 3: €180 Category 2: €490 Category 1: €690.

A rough estimate of the cost to UEFA in paying back refunds suggests that the governing body could have to reimburse a sum of money in excess of five million euro.

Liverpool FC to implement refund

Due to Reds fans purchasing tickets from Liverpool FC and not directly from UEFA, UEFA has requested that the Premier League club implements the refunds to ensure personal data protection and for ease of process. The club has confirmed that it will implement the special refund scheme and will provide details of a platform for the supporters in question.