A report indicates that more than 1,700 Liverpool fans who suffered physical injuries or psychological trauma in the Champions League final have registered with law firms to file claims against UEFA for damages.
Thousands of Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters were held outside the stadium for hours and attacked with tear gas.
Dangerous crushes were formed as a result of access problems, and it is now known that there are large numbers of sympathizers registering with law firms to file claims for damages.
According to a report by The Guardian, those who have signed up for legal action include fans who say they broke their ribs in crushes and others who show symptoms of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“We are representing people who suffered physical injuries from being crushed at the turnstiles, and many people who suffered psychologically; some feared for their lives,” Gerard Long, a partner at Binghams solicitors in Liverpool, told The Guardian.
“Clients have reported anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, never wanting to go back to a European football match or even France.
“Our case is that UEFA, as organizers, had a duty of care to people, who paid a lot of money for tickets, and they failed to do so.”
Jill Paterson, the partner leading Leigh Day’s potential class claim, says clients have reported blunt force trauma, broken bones and crush bruises, and injuries after police attacks.
“Our clients have told us that they were crushed and tear-gassed, and that they feared for their lives. Some are people who were previously affected by the Hillsborough disaster,” he said.
The fallout from the events before and after the match is still ongoing, with Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan listing eight main reasons for the crowd chaos in the club’s latest update on their investigations.
LFC identifies 8 main problems of Paris
Fan park and stadium “access point congestion” Lack of information from fans on how to avoid train stops to get to the stadium Issues including overcrowding, crushing, and gang presence at gate control areas Police tactics Excessive rioting Lack of feedback from fans on delayed kick off Posting incorrect reason for delayed start Problems exiting stadium Problems including unnecessary tear gas in fan park
Hogan says the club and supporter groups plan to meet with the independent panel set up by UEFA, with further updates on the Liverpool investigations to follow.
UEFA still has a lot to answer for.
