European football’s governing body, UEFA, has requested that England’s High Court dismiss lawsuits filed by over 1,000 Liverpool fans who attended the chaotic 2022 Champions League final in Paris, claiming personal injuries from the incident.
The case, filed last year against UEFA and UEFA Events, arose from the mayhem outside the Stade de France before the match, which was delayed for more than 30 minutes.
Footage showed French police using tear gas on fans, who reported heavy-handed treatment as they were herded into pens outside the stadium.
An independent review of the incidents outside the stadium found that UEFA was responsible for a “large number of near misses that nearly led to disaster” before the final, which Real Madrid won 1-0.
UEFA settled with a group of Liverpool fans in March, but a separate case being brought on behalf of around 1,200 others continues at the High Court.
At a preliminary hearing on Thursday, UEFA’s lawyers asked the court to adjourn a hearing scheduled for later this month, at which UEFA will ask for the cases to be thrown out.
UEFA’s lawyer, Shaheed Fatima, said in court documents that the case could not continue because it would require the court “to make findings as to the lawfulness or unlawfulness … of the French state.”
Judge Edward Pepperall ruled that the hearing of UEFA’s application to dismiss the cases should go ahead on June 27.
UEFA had initially blamed the Merseyside club’s fans for the chaos, before apologizing following the release of an independent review last year.
The body later set up a refund scheme; however, Real Madrid described it as “insufficient” and declined to contribute.
UEFA also began a series of measures for the next finals, including increasing the number of security officers and involving fans in the planning and execution.
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