After Hillsborough, Authorities Blamed the Victims. Now It’s Happening Again<\/h2>\n

As my Twitter feed before the Champions League Final filled up with horrific stories from Liverpool supporters who were trying to get into the stadium, my thoughts immediately turned to the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium tragedy, which killed 97 LFC supporters in a stadium crush. Although I had seen nothing to indicate that the same scale of tragedy was likely in Paris, multiple reports indicated that the situation was volatile and dangerous. And I kept thinking that, regardless of whether anyone in Paris suffers serious physical<\/strong> injury, many of the Liverpool fans who survived Hillsborough were likely to be triggered by what was happening now. For them, what was supposed to be a joyful, exciting day cheering on Liverpool in a European Cup final would instead be a terrifying, panic-inducing nightmare. And that nightmare could easily have lasting effects on many.<\/p>\n

Worse yet, even after the fans made it into the stadium and later safely returned to their homes in Liverpool and elsewhere, many of those fans are likely still being triggered by the authorities’ ongoing statements about what happened in Paris.<\/p>\n

In 1989, media and government authorities blamed Liverpool fans for the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium tragedy.\u00a0 Ever since, both the Hillsborough survivors and the entire Liverpool fanbase have fought fiercely against that stigma. For the most part, Liverpool supporters have won that long, nasty fight. But the horror of both the Hillsborough disaster itself, along with decades of slanderous victim-blaming, have traumatized many within Liverpool’s fanbase.<\/p>\n

Now, in the wake of Saturday’s fiasco outside the Champions League Final in Paris, officials of the French government and UEFA are triggering memories of past trauma by blaming the victims once again.<\/p>\n

Why I’m Writing This<\/h3>\n

First, let me be clear: this post is not about the football match, which Real Madrid won, fair and square. Real’s manager had a great plan, the players executed the plan, and their goalkeeper was fantastic. In my opinion, on balance, Real Madrid were the better team. This post does not reflect sour grapes. I would be writing about what happened outside the stadium regardless of the outcome of the football match.<\/p>\n

Second, I also want to note that I have aimed this post at my quite specific audience. Only a handful of people are likely to read this. They are almost all American. Some are Liverpool fans, but some are not. Many of them are new to European football generally, and\/or new to the specific history of Liverpool Football Club. Some of my readers probably don’t even know generally about the events of last Saturday, because American media gave the event limited attention.\u00a0 I understand that, by contrast, most Liverpool fans, even in the United States, already know both about what happened in Paris, and also know most or all of the history I’m about to go over here.<\/p>\n

I’m writing because I want to provide some historical context that will demonstrate the devastating emotional impact that last Saturday’s stadium chaos is likely to have caused many Liverpool fans. As an American fan who has only followed Liverpool since 2011, none of the history I’m about to describe is part of my own lived experience. But I’m very aware that this history is deeply woven into the cultural identity of Liverpool’s fanbase — especially its core local fanbase.<\/p>\n

What Happened Last Saturday in Paris?<\/h3>\n

On Saturday, May 28 Liverpool and Real Madrid played in the Champions League Final at the Stade de France Stadium in Paris. Conditions outside the stadium before the match were chaotic, violent, and dangerous<\/a>. Liverpool fans arriving to the match — mostly by subway trains — encountered huge difficulties as they approached the stadium from the train station. The highly aggressive police response to an anxious but peaceful crowd proved to be the worst aspect of an overall miserable experience for fans — all before they even made it into the stadium.<\/p>\n

Some Real Madrid fans also encountered difficulties, but their side of the stadium was, for whatever reason, far less congested.<\/p>\n

The governing body organizing the match was the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Because thousands of (mostly) Liverpool fans were stuck outside the stadium, UEFA officials twice delayed the start of the match. Most of the fans outside had been there waiting for several hours. Ultimately, about 2,700 Liverpool fans who had legitimate tickets never made it into the stadium at all, and this included the family of Liverpool player Jo\u00ebl Matip<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why all of this happened is still unclear. We do know that the logistical plans of UEFA and French government authorities were failures. However, both UEFA and the French government have pointed the finger of blame toward Liverpool fans, despite lacking any evidence to support their claims.<\/p>\n

Inside the stadium, UEFA announced the initial delay by blaming Liverpool fans for arriving late (photo from The Anfield Wrap<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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But there is no evidence that, as a group, Liverpool fans arrived late to the stadium. They could not get into the stadium because, in the three hours before the scheduled kickoff, stadium officials closed several of the gates where Liverpool fans were supposed to enter, for reasons that remain unclear.<\/p>\n

French officials have claimed that 70 percent (or about 40,000) of the tickets presented by Liverpool fans were fake. By contrast, The New York Times<\/a> says that official documents show that stewards intercepted 2,589 fake tickets at the event. Immediately after the match, Liverpool player Andy Robertson told the press<\/a> that he had given an official, club-provided ticket to a friend, but stadium stewards had rejected his friend’s ticket and claimed that it was fake. At least one French newspaper has ridiculed the French government minister who has claimed that the problems were the result of 40,000 fake tickets:<\/p>\n

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This week, LFC podcast and website The Anfield Wrap<\/a> has also done a fantastic job of both reporting what actually happened and calling out the lies of UEFA and the French government.<\/p>\n

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Earlier today @Knox_Harrington<\/a> was on @SkySportsNews<\/a> to react to the lies told by Darmanin and Oudea-Castera about LFC supporters at the 2022 UCL Final. <\/p>\n

Watch Now\ud83d\udc47 pic.twitter.com\/LrmB0qxF5h<\/a><\/p>\n

— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) June 2, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n