Law firm hits out at Uefa over Liverpool fans yet to see Paris final claims settled
Uefa has made “no meaningful efforts” to settle claims on behalf of 1,200 Liverpool fans affected by the chaos surrounding the 2022 Champions League final, a law firm has said.
European football’s governing body announced last Friday evening it had reached a “full and final settlement” with supporters represented by Pogust Goodhead and Bingham Long who had made personal injury claims. An independent report published last year found Uefa bore “primary responsibility” for the failures which almost led to European club football’s biggest occasion in Paris in May 2022 becoming a “mass fatality catastrophe”.
Serious congestion problems outside the Stade de France saw thousands of Liverpool fans penned in against perimeter fences and stuck in a motorway underpass ahead of the game against Real Madrid, with kick-off on the night delayed by more than 30 minutes. Those same supporters, who had already been targeted by local youths trying to steal tickets, were then teargassed and pepper-sprayed by police.
However, a large contingent of supporters represented by Leigh Day still have claims outstanding. “The terms of the settlement [announced on Friday] are highly confidential, but we know that Uefa have not made any admission of wrongdoing or fault,” Clare
Campbell and Jill Paterson from Leigh Day said. “Currently, Uefa have made no meaningful efforts to settle the claims we issued 12 months ago on behalf of 1,200 fans.
“We do not know why Uefa are treating groups of fans differently given that they all experienced the same level of mistreatment and harm. The settlement news only causes division and unnecessary anxiety, but we can only hope that it means that Uefa’s focus is moving towards compensating fans rather than resisting the claim in the courts.
“We want to assure our clients that our focus remains on pursuing Uefa further and obtaining appropriate compensation and justice for each of our clients. As always, we will keep our clients updated with any progress in their claims.”
A jurisdictional hearing in the Leigh Day civil case is due to take place on 27-28 June. Uefa has been approached for comment.