By Victor Kanayo
European football body, UEFA, has revealed its readiness to refund Liverpool fans their tickets for the 2022 Champions League final in Paris, nearly one year after.
In the final clash which the Reds eventually lost, fans were reportedly penned in and sprayed with tear gas outside Paris’ Stade de France.
This is after an independent report, commissioned on May 28, revealed that the continent’s football body was primarily responsible for the chaotic scenes before the game against Real Madrid.
Afterall, UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis said the refund scheme “covers all of the Liverpool FC ticket allocation for the final, i.e. 19,618 tickets.
“We have taken into account a huge number of views expressed both publicly and privately and we believe we have devised a scheme that is comprehensive and fair.
“We value the input from the Liverpool FC supporter organisations Spirit of Shankly and Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association as well as the open and transparent dialogue throughout this period.
“We recognise the negative experiences of those supporters on the day and with this scheme we will refund fans who had bought tickets and who were the most affected by the difficulties in accessing the stadium.”
Liverpool were also part of the process of securing refunds for their fans and, as supporters bought tickets from them directly rather than Uefa, the club will administer the process.
UEFA and French authorities initially blamed ticketless fans for the events outside the stadium.