UEFA to issue refunds to Liverpool fans for last year’s Champions League final

UEFA has announced that Liverpool fans that bought tickets for their Champions League final clash with Real Madrid will receive a refund.

The governing body of European football has set up a refund scheme for fans affected by the chaotic scenes at the Stade de France last year.

Logistical issues and organisational mishaps marred the final. It mainly affected Liverpool supporters and forced the kick-off to be delayed.

Fans inside the stadium received information about security issues. Locals had broken through barriers and jumped fences to get into the stadium ahead of people that paid to watch the game.

Many fans could not gain entry into the stadium, while some individuals suffered harassment at the hands of the police using tear gas. The police were criticised for their handling of the situation.

Following the complaints after the game, UEFA set up an independent commission to investigate what had happened.

The inquiry took eight months, but they concluded that UEFA made a mess of the organisation. They also blasted the French FA and police for their part in the chaotic events of that day.

A statement from UEFA read: “UEFA will implement a special refund scheme for fans who were most affected when accessing the Stade de France on May 28, 2022.

“Refunds will be available to all fans with tickets for gates A, B, C, X, Y and Z, where the most difficult circumstances were reported.

“In addition, all fans who according to the access control data did not enter the stadium before 21:00 CEST (the originally scheduled kick-off time), or who were not able to enter the stadium at all, will be eligible for a refund.

“Finally, UEFA will offer refunds to all fans who purchased accessibility tickets along with those of their accompanying persons.

“Given these criteria, the special refund scheme covers all of the Liverpool FC ticket allocation for the Final, i.e. 19,618 tickets.

“Due to the nature of the original ticket sales process, whereby Liverpool fans purchased tickets from Liverpool FC and not directly from UEFA, UEFA has requested that the club implements the refunds to ensure personal data protection and for ease of process.

“The club has kindly confirmed that it will implement the special refund scheme. Accordingly, UEFA will reimburse Liverpool FC the total value of these tickets and the club will then process the refunds to its supporters.”

UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis commiserated with fans who had a poor experience trying to enter the stadium to watch a game they paid to see.

Theodoridis apologised to Liverpool fans and thanked their supporters’ clubs for their contribution.

Some Madrid fans and neutral supporters will also receive refunds if they meet the criteria.