Bayern Munich have lodged a protest with UEFA about “unacceptable” and “surprising” security measures implemented by French police ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern issued a statement late on Monday saying an official protest had been lodged with governing body UEFA about measures adopted at “short notice” by the Paris police prefecture.
The measures, issued on Monday, included requiring all Bayern fan buses to wait outside the city and be accompanied to and from the Parc des Princes by a police escort.
The measure also requires all Bayern fans to “travel to the stadium exclusively via public transport”.
Bayern said fan buses would only be able to leave the Paris region after around 5am local time on Wednesday, despite the match finishing at around 11pm the night before.
Hosts PSG were supportive of Bayern’s protest, the statement outlined.
“For FC Bayern, the short notice of the decree is unacceptable, as all the relevant information has been available for weeks,” the statement read.
French police came under fire in the aftermath of the 2022 Champions League final, between Real Madrid and Liverpool, held at the Stade de France in the north of the city.
The match was overshadowed by a 37-minute delay to kick-off as fans struggled to access the entrances after being funnelled into overcrowded bottlenecks as they approached the stadium.
In May of this year, ex-French interior minister Gerald Darmanin apologised to supporters for the police operation around the stadium, saying “we got the measures wrong” and “it was a failure”.
Darmanin had initially blamed Liverpool fans for the disorder and claimed many had turned up without tickets.
Nervy police fired tear gas towards thousands of supporters locked behind metal fences on the perimeter of the stadium.
Liverpool fans suffered a series of false claims in the aftermath of the chaos.
An independent report found UEFA bore “primary responsibility” for the failures which almost led to the match becoming a “mass fatality catastrophe”.
The report added it was “remarkable” that no one was killed on the night of the final.
Real Madrid won the final 1-0.
AFP
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