“There could have been a disaster”

Scott, who had donned a red jersey by James Milner, was already excited before the 37-minute delayed kick-off of the Champions League final in Paris.

That wasn’t just because the die-hard Liverpool fan had a thief pulled the final ticket out of his pocket on the way to the Stade de France. In the hotel lobby not far from Charles de Gaulle airport, the wires were running hot, Scott, who had hardly seen a match in 50 years “Reds” missed and even attended the European Cup performances of the traditional club in Innsbruck, Graz and Vienna, phoned friends every minute who were waiting to be admitted to the arena.

In front of the stadium gates in Saint-Denis, tumultuous scenes took place, the around 7,000 security forces were hopelessly overwhelmed by the onslaught of Liverpool battlers – around 60,000 are said to have traveled to the French capital. The sheer fear of being overrun was omnipresent. This is one of the reasons why all locks have been closed in the meantime. “Not only is it chaotic, it’s also dangerous”scolded England football legend Gary Lineker.

The crowds in front of the gates took on threatening proportions, and there was a risk of mass panic. Many supporters with valid tickets waited for hours to get in, growing impatient as kick-off time drew nearer and nearer. Many counterfeit tickets were in circulation, resulting in blockages at the turnstiles. Some “fare dodger” climbed over high fences and (temporarily) gained illegal access to the area.

The police used tear gas – even in the presence of innocent families and young people who had come to experience a football festival.

“There could have been a disaster”, stressed Scott, citing eyewitnesses. Distinctive postscript: “We all know what happened at Heysel Stadium.” Back then, on May 29, 1985, at the championship cup final in Brussels, Juventus and Liverpool supporters clashed, stones were thrown, a wall couldn’t withstand the masses and collapsed, 39 people died.

Fortunately, 37 years later, there should be no deaths. 238 injured and 105 arrests are still far too many to let grass grow over the matter. The French sports newspaper “L’Equipe” wrote from one “absolute fiasco”. Indeed it was – and not just for Scott.