Defender Dani Carvajal has slammed the “chaos” outside Saturday’s Champions League final, saying Real Madrid’s win over Liverpool could be “tainted” by the problems fans faced outside the Stade de France.
UEFA have commissioned an independent inquiry into events which saw thousands of Liverpool fans held outside the stadium in Paris, causing kick-off to be delayed by over 30 minutes.
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Supporters were sprayed with tear gas by riot police, and there have been reports of fans of both clubs being targeted and robbed by gangs as they left after the match.
“There was quite a bit of chaos,” Carvajal, who has won five Champions Leagues with Madrid, said on Tuesday while on international duty with Spain.
“Our closest relatives — my parents, my wife and my son — had to be left practically at the door of the stadium because security getting in couldn’t be guaranteed.”
Liverpool have called for an apology after French authorities blamed British supporters, who they said had purchased fake tickets for blocking turnstiles and claimed had arrived late for the game.
The Premier League club’s chairman Tom Werner wrote to French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera after claims that between 30,000-40,000 fans had attended with either counterfeit tickets, or no tickets at all, calling the allegations “irresponsible” and “unprofessional.”
“It’s a shame that because of something external the final could be a bit tainted,” Carvajal added.
“It must be noted and corrected for the next events that take place at that stadium. It needs to improve, because there were people that suffered a lot. It should have been a dream day, whether you win or lose, and there were people who couldn’t enjoy it.”
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois — who starred with a string of saves during the final, including decisive stops from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah — has also spoken out on the issue.
“I feel sorry for Liverpool fans and the way they were treated,” he said on Twitter on Sunday. “I hope everyone got home safe!”