Chaos and frustrations: Police were overwhelmed Saturday by tens of thousand of supporters, and attempts to invade by people without tickets.
The organizers had to delay kickoff for over 30 minutes. This caused frustration among spectators who paid for tickets, but were unable to attend the first half.
However, everything started in a joyful and very pleasant atmosphere under the sun of spring Paris. Tens of thousands of supporters from each camp quietly swept into Paris, inviting them to join different “fan-zones”.
The match began at 6:00 p.m., but the atmosphere quickly became tense. At least 1000 supporters were stopped from entering the stadium by the gendarmes, who kept them contained. They were furious and shouted “Open the gate!” while the supporters couldn’t pass one after another.
The system was then attacked by real intruders. Around 9:15 p.m., the Paris police headquarters stated that the police were intervening to stop attempted intrusions into stadium. Tear gas was used to stop a handful of young people from climbing over the barriers.
Security guards and the gendarmes began to pursue them, in an effort to get them out as soon as possible. An anonymous agent said, “It’s very poorly organised.” The game of cat-and-mouse continued even after the match had ended. Just before 10 p.m. the police used tear gas to arrest the crowd.
Liverpool fans were furious and remained outside with tickets. One of them said that he was “seriously annoyed” but that they kept their cool.
After the Russian invasion on February 24, the final scheduled Saint Petersburg event was moved to the Stade de France. The authorities had only three months to prepare instead of the eighteen required by UEFA.
