DOMINIC KING: There is NOTHING to celebrate from UEFA taking the blame

DOMINIC KING: There is NOTHING to celebrate from UEFA taking the blame for last season’s Champions League chaos… the damage they have done is IRREPARABLE after tarnishing the reputations of Liverpool fans

• UEFA accepted ‘prime responsibility’ for the Champions League final last May
• They have absolved Liverpool fans of any blame for the scenes that unfolded
• But, there is very little of the Liverpool fans to celebrate following that night 

There should be a sense of satisfaction when vindication arrives but, that is not the case. The fury remains as intense as it was that evening, eight months ago, and no statement – no matter how strong the words – will change it.

UEFA, it emerged on Monday night, have accepted ‘prime responsibility’ for the horrific handling of the Champions League final last May and, in the process, absolved Liverpool fans of any blame for the scenes that unfolded outside the Stade de France.

Are these supporters supposed to be grateful for exoneration? Do UEFA expect that the publication of the findings mean they can now close a chapter and move on without giving it another thought, in the way you may apologise for missing an email?

No. There is nothing to mildly celebrate here. It should never have got to a stage where Liverpool fans had their reputation besmirched for the failings of organisations and authorities but that is exactly what happened that awful night in Paris.

‘The police and government thought they could blame Liverpool fans for their own incompetence,’ Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson wrote in his autobiography.

UEFA, it emerged on Monday night, have accepted ‘prime responsibility’ for the horrific handling of the Champions League final last May and absolved Liverpool fans of any blame

Liverpool fans were held in ‘long and slow moving’ hour-long queues outside the stadium

Liverpool fans stuck outside the ground were pictured showing their match tickets

I was one of a number of journalists who received messages about how bad the situation was outside the stadium two hours before the original kick-off time and we went out to investigate

‘They thought it would be easy to turn them into scapegoats and fall back on the old narrative that it was the fault of our supporters.’

That’s exactly what they tried to do, as was the case in April 1989 when 97 Liverpool fans needlessly perished at Hillsborough. UEFA, the French police and dreadful government ministers hoped if they slung enough mud it would stick and allow them to scurry away from the scene like rodents.

Fortunately, this is the digital age and the amount of footage that was captured outside the Stade de France showed the situation for what it was – a disaster waiting to unfold. It genuinely remains a miracle that nobody lost their lives in those godforsaken surrounds.

I know what I experienced on May 28. Upon arriving at Saint-Denis Metro station, signs of chaos were everywhere. I headed for the stadium with Real Madrid fans and it is important to stress they were subjected to similar levels of danger as their Liverpool counterparts.

French police had turned a blind eye that night, allowing the gangs of North African descent to wreak havoc. You could write a book about the appalling stories that emerged from it, including one fan whose leg was broken and required three operations after being attacked with a hammer.

Another unforgettable one is the group of fans who made their way to the nearby Car Park after the match and could hear the screams and smashing of glass as groups of helpless individuals were besieged with bats and iron bars.

Some fathers with their children took the decision to walk down the middle of the streets, back to La Plaine train station, were attacks were taking place because to head down the safety of a side street would mean you heading into an ambush. These, be in no doubt, were scenes from horror movies.

Astonishingly, it was worse beforehand. I was one of a number of journalists who began to receive messages about how bad the situation was outside the stadium two hours before the original kick-off time and we went out to investigate.

The French police resorted to using tear gas on those supporters standing in a queue

Liverpool fans also tired to cover their faces with their shirts and masks outside the stadium 

Queues were not moving, chaos was reigning and those responsible for organising the biggest game in club football did not have a clue what to do. I distinctly recall speaking to a gentleman in a UEFA suit, outside the media entrance at 2020hrs local time and telling him fans were not going to get in.

He had the look of someone who was watching a boat sink in front of him, totally helpless and clueless to offer a solution. When we wanted help and guidance, what we got was UEFA peddling that pathetic statement, which was published on the big screen.

‘Due to the late arrival of fans, the match has been delayed,’ it said.

Liars. Let’s call them for what they were. Liars. At the time of that message, Liverpool fans were outside Gate Y – which had been shut and left them stranded – choking, spluttering and retching as the French police resorted to using tear gas on those standing in a queue.

Like a number of my colleagues, I felt the effects of it – your mouth stays dry for hours, your head pulses with a dull splitting ache – as I tried to speak to Liverpool fans on the other side of a fence to listen to their experiences.

If you got your phone out to record, you ran the risk of being set upon by heavy-handed security guards: this happened to a reporter from Associated Press, whose credentials were taken off him after he was man-handled until he deleted the footage he had gathered.

UEFA’S report states: ‘The dangerous conditions on the concourse outside the turnstiles were compounded by the police deploying teargas at disorderly groups of locals, as well as using pepper spray on supporters trying to gain entrance with valid tickets.

The vast majority – more than 95 per cent – travelled in the hope of collecting memories that would last a lifetime

They got that, all right. Regrettably, the memories are awful; the disenchantment is remains so raw for some that they won’t consider going to another European game

‘It is remarkable that no one lost their life. All the stakeholders interviewed by the panel have agreed that this situation was a near-miss: a term used when an event almost turns into a mass fatality catastrophe.’

Yet nobody believed us when we said that on the night of May 28. In the Mail on Sunday the following day, I wrote: ‘Let it be said for the importance of clarity: there was no sign of Liverpool fans causing trouble, no indication that they had come to cause problems.’

But UEFA had inflicted their damage. Those with historical and lazy stereotypes wanted to criticise – and believe – that it was ‘ticketless Scousers causing problems again’. It wasn’t. The vast majority – more than 95 per cent – travelled in the hope of collecting memories that would last a lifetime.

They got that, all right. Regrettably, the memories are awful; the disenchantment is remains so raw for some that they won’t consider going to another European game. UEFA can accept responsibility all they want. It doesn’t matter. The damage they caused is irreparable. Shame on them, yet again.

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