Real Madrid slam ´insufficient´ UEFA refund plan after Champions League final ´near miss´

Real Madrid have slammed UEFA’s “insufficient” plan to refund some supporters who attended last May’s Champions League final, calling for the governing body to assume responsibility for the chaos which overshadowed the game.

An independent report released last month found UEFA “primarily responsible” for the “large number of near misses that nearly led to disaster” at the Stade de France.

Liverpool fans were initially blamed by French authorities amid shambolic scenes which saw supporters placed at risk of crushes as the kick-off was delayed in Paris.

On Tuesday, UEFA announced plans to refund all 19,618 Liverpool supporters with tickets to the final, with only a section of Madrid fans covered by the measures.

However, a response issued by the European champions on Thursday called on UEFA to extend the offer to all attendees, describing overall conditions at the game as “unacceptable”.

“Given the conclusiveness of the experts’ findings and the seriousness of the events described, Real Madrid has been holding talks with UEFA with the aim of assessing the compensation that will be offered to fans,” the statement read.

“Our club was entirely confident that these solutions would be in line with the seriousness of the events, the extent of the damage caused and UEFA’s responsibility for them.

“Regrettably, our club believes that UEFA’s proposal, officially announced last Tuesday, is insufficient.

“The content of the report stresses that all fans attending the final were victims of its inadequate organisation and their safety and security were compromised.

“The fact is that all the fans experienced an unacceptable delay in the start of the match. In addition, there was unacceptable insecurity both in accessing and leaving the stadium, as well as additional harm such as theft, assaults and threats.

“For this reason, Real Madrid has decided not to cooperate in the restricted compensation procedure proposed by UEFA, which we ask to redress the situation and assume full responsibility.”

Official Announcement. #RealMadrid

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) March 9, 2023