A week after the incidents near the Stade de France, franceinfo met Steve Rotheram, the mayor of the Liverpool conurbation. He considers “unforgivable” the “lies” of Gérald Darmanin.
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Six days after the incidents that marred the Champions League final near the Stade de France, the city of Liverpool is still hit by the turn of events. If many Liverpool supporters, accustomed to traveling throughout Europe, claim to have never seen this, the mayor of Liverpool, met by franceinfo, says to himself “shocked by the lies of Gérald Darmanin”.
>> Incidents at the Stade de France: how the Champions League final turned into a political (and diplomatic) crisis
From the evening of the final, the Minister of the Interior had denounced “the thousands of British ‘supporters’, without tickets or with counterfeit tickets, who forced entry and, at times, assaulted the stewards”. An argument he has maintained, since he has been repeating ever since “between 30,000 and 40,000 people“possessed “counterfeit tickets” where had come “without ticket”. A figure that he confirmed Thursday before the Senate Law and Culture Committees, when asked about the chaotic organization of the final.
Greater Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram says to himself “shocked by the seriousness of Minister Darmanin’s accusations against England fans and by the way the authorities have discharged their responsibilities“. The remarks he made “turn out to be lies“, says the mayor. “Obviously, Mr. Darmanin settled with the truth and before several authorities. And that is unforgivable“, he says.
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Liverpool FC are demanding an apology from the French government and the city’s mayor wants the club to participate in the investigation opened by UEFA: “I am concerned precisely about the independence of the people who will be in charge of it. This is why, in the letter that I am about to send to UEFA and to the French authorities, I am going to demand this: the two clubs must be represented, within the committee of inquiry“, he offers.
Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram speaking with Agathe Mahuet
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Football returns Friday evening to the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis. The France team faces Denmark at 8:45 p.m. for its first group match of the League of Nations.