Real Madrid has rejected an offer from the European Football Association (Uefa) regarding compensation for fans affected around the Stade de France stadium in Paris during last year’s Champions League final.
Uefa announced on Tuesday that it will reimburse the Liverpool giants for all 19,618 tickets and organization costs after the match in the French capital started 37 minutes late and fans struggled to get into the stadium.
Real Madrid fans and other visitors affected by the chaos at the Stade de France could also seek compensation, but each case will be considered on a case-by-case basis, AFP reported on Tuesday.
Refunds to Real Madrid fans who meet the criteria would thus be reviewed by UEFA’s Customer Relations Department based on requests received from ticket buyers. The same applies to neutral supporters who have purchased tickets directly from UEFA and are entitled to a refund.
Today, Real rejected this possibility of compensation, as it was said to be “insufficient”. In a press statement, they announced that they would not cooperate with the plan of the governing body of European football.
“Our club believes that Tuesday’s Uefa proposal is insufficient. It is only a refund of the ticket price, which is conditional on meeting a number of requirements, including proof of the time of entry to the stadium,” Real wrote in today’s statement.
They added that it is “according to the convincing conclusion of the experts, the club expected compensation according to the seriousness of the events and the fault of UEFA”. At the same time, the fans experienced “unacceptable delay at the start of the match”continued the Madrid giant.
“For this reason, Real Madrid has decided not to participate in the limited compensation procedure proposed by Uefa. We ask it to rectify the situation and take full responsibility,” they wrote according to AFP.
Uefa apologized to fans in mid-February for any wrongdoing after an independent panel found “Uefa’s primary responsibility” for the events in Paris.
Uefa ordered an independent audit of the events on May 30 last year, published the report on February 13, and according to the French news agency AFP, it cost them about 500,000 euros.
In the report, the commission claimed that the policing model at the aforementioned Champions League final was also influenced by false suggestions that Liverpool fans were a threat to public order and peace.
The commission concluded that Uefa, as the owner of the event, bore the primary responsibility for the errors and that it was surprised by the policing model, which was based on the hooliganism of Liverpool supporters.
Uefa initially tried to blame the chaos on Liverpool fans who arrived late for the match, despite thousands of fans being held up outside the stadium for hours.
Lawyers for hundreds of Liverpool fans have said they will continue legal proceedings against UEFA, AFP adds.
Source: Rtvslo
