By Shweta Desai
PARIS (AA) – Paris’ police chief on Thursday assumed full responsibility for the "failure" and chaotic scenes around last month’s Champions League finals and apologized for using tear gas on a crowd outside the stadium, including small children.
“I am the sole (person) in charge of the security in the Paris region … I, therefore, assume full responsibility for the police management of the day of Saturday, May 28,” Didier Lallement testified to a French Senate commission, while also praising the actions of police and the gendarmerie around the Stade de France that day, saying that “without them a tragedy could have occurred.”
Francois-Noel Buffet, the commission’s head, pressed Lallement over a security breakdown before the kickoff of the showpiece football final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. “We saw the use of tear gas. Honestly, we don't understand. We need to understand,” he said.
The law enforcement and security around the stadium have come under fire since the finals 10 days ago for gross dysfunction and crowd commotion that resulted in the match being delayed for 35 minutes.
Official ticket holders were stuck in queues for hours as the police fired tear gas in close proximity to the crowd, which included small children, as hundreds of supporters broke the security cordon and jumped the metal gates to enter the stadium.
Initially authorities placed much of the blame on fans holding counterfeit tickets, or ticketless Liverpool fans.
But ultimately the disorganization raised embarrassing questions over France’s ability to host the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Lallement admitted to the day’s “failure,” saying he sees the events of that Saturday night “with the greatest lucidity.”
“People were pushed around or assaulted when we owed them security. The image of the country has been shaken,” he said.