Real Madrid has criticised UEFA’s “inadequate” plan to reimburse some fans who attended the Champions League final in May, and has demanded that the governing body take responsibility for the chaos that surrounded the game.
A recent independent investigation concluded that UEFA was “primarily responsible” for the “numerous near misses that almost resulted in disaster” at the Stade de France.
French authorities initially placed the blame on Liverpool fans during chaotic scenes that put fans at risk of crushes as the start time in Paris was delayed.
Only a portion of the Madrid supporters will be affected by the UEFA’s plans to refund all 19,618 Liverpool fans who purchased tickets to the championship game on Tuesday.
However, a response issued by the European champions on Thursday called on UEFA to extend the offer to all attendees, describing overall conditions at the game as “unacceptable”.
“Given the conclusiveness of the experts’ findings and the seriousness of the events described, Real Madrid has been holding talks with UEFA with the aim of assessing the compensation that will be offered to fans,” the statement read.
“Our club was entirely confident that these solutions would be in line with the seriousness of the events, the extent of the damage caused and UEFA’s responsibility for them.
“Regrettably, our club believes that UEFA’s proposal, officially announced last Tuesday, is insufficient.
“The content of the report stresses that all fans attending the final were victims of its inadequate organisation and their safety and security were compromised.
“The fact is that all the fans experienced an unacceptable delay in the start of the match. In addition, there was unacceptable insecurity both in accessing and leaving the stadium, as well as additional harm such as theft, assaults and threats.
“For this reason, Real Madrid has decided not to cooperate in the restricted compensation procedure proposed by UEFA, which we ask to redress the situation and assume full responsibility.”
Official Announcement. #RealMadrid
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 9, 2023