Fricaǯs fas–es– man Oman›ala a doub–

Organisers blamed for Champions League final chaos

PARIS - An enquiry by the French Senate into crowd chaos at this year’s Champions League final in Paris concluded that organisers were to blame, not supporters, undermining claims by the police and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

A fact-finding mission led by two senators was set up after the Liverpool-Real Madrid game on May 28 which was marred by a delayed kickoff, crushes, teargas and street crime.

The investigation concluded that the problems were caused by a ‘string of dysfunctions’ including a lack of preparation by French authorities and poorly executed security arrangements.

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“These dysfunctions were at every level, not only during the implementation but also during preparations in advance,” the co-chair of the enquiry Laurent Lafon told reporters at a press conference.

The final report contradicted repeated statements from

NAIRIBI - Africa’s fastest Ferdinand Omanyala is doubtful to compete at this week’s World Championships in the United States because the Kenyan sprinter is facing visa issues, his spokesperson said yesterday.

Darmanin that Liverpool fans were mostly responsible, with the minister claiming that up to 40 000 of them travelled to the stadium either with no tickets or with fake ones.

“The first statements (by the minister) do not match up with reality,” Francois-Noel Buffet, a fellow co-chair of the investigation, told reporters.

“The conclusions of the minister on the evening and the day after were not the right ones,” Lafon added.

“It was a biased conclusion, imprecise.”

Omanyala set the African men’s 100 metres record after clocking a time of 9.77 seconds at the Kip Keino Classic meeting in Nairobi in September 2021. The Kenyan sprinter has been included in the entry list for the 100m event at the World Championships, which begin in Eugene tomorrow.