France's interior minister admits mistakes at Champions League final

France's interior minister admitted that mistakes were made in dealing with the crowd outside the Champions League final in Paris but justified the use of tear gas, saying the move was crucial to prevent supporters getting killed. Darmanin blames British fans for Champions League final riots Gerald Darmanin says thousands of British fans without tickets or with false tickets tried to enter the Stade de France. He maintained that the presence of 30,000 to 40,000 supporters without tickets or with forged tickets led to the incidents that marred the event, despite being challenged by a lawmaker who said he did not bring the proof to back up those numbers. He  said that 29 people were arrested around the stadium, including 14 Britons, with 52 other people apprehended within 200 meters of the stadium. Darmanin added that Spanish and British citizens will be able to file legal complaints in their own countries.

Gerald Darmanin was grilled by a senate commission and asked to provide explanations for the organizational fiasco outside the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, where Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 on Saturday. Earlier Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron and government members said they were sad and sorry for the 2,700 Liverpool fans who had a ticket but couldn't get into the stadium. According to the French Football Federation (FFF), 35,000 people without tickets or with fake tickets made their way to the Stade de France. It said they created disorder by blocking access to the stadium and preventing fans who had real tickets from getting into the venue. Darmanin cited the exemple of a ticket that was reproduced 760 times.European soccer's governing body, UEFA, has also started to gather evidence about issues outside the Stade de France that marred one of the world's biggest games in sports. 

Saturday's events prompted concerns in France and abroad about the country's ability to host major sporting events. France will host the Rugby World Cup next year and the 2024 Olympics.Sports minister Amelie Oud a-Cast ra also attended the senate hearing and pointed out areas of improvement for the future, including a better management of crowd flows and a more systematic use of electronic ticketing.