UEFA issues apology to all fans caught up in the distressing events during Champions League final

UEFA issued an official apology to all spectators who had to experience or witness frightening and distressing events in the build-up to the Champions League final at the Stade de France on 28 May 2022 in Paris. No football fan should be put in that situation, and it must not happen again, states the message published tofay on UEFA.com.

To that end, immediately after the events, UEFA commissioned an Independent Review to identify shortcomings and responsibilities of all entities involved in the organisation of the final, and has today published the Terms of Reference for this review.

The Independent Review, which will be led by Dr Tiago Brandão Rodrigues from Portugal, aims at understanding what happened in the build-up to the final, and determining what lessons should be learned to ensure there is no repeat of the actions and events of that day.

The Review will seek to establish a full picture and timeline of what occurred during the day, both within the stadium and the surrounding areas, including examining spectator flows to the stadium via the various access points.

It will also examine all relevant operational plans related to security, mobility, ticketing, as well as others at the discretion of the chairman of the Review, and will examine the planning and preparedness of the involved entities for the staging of the final, including at additional sites such as the Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF fan meeting points.

Once completed, the Report will be published by UEFA on www.uefa.com in the interests of transparency.