Tear gas, trust and travelling fans
French stadiums are once again preparing to host travelling English supporters, but confidence among fans is fragile. Nearly three years after the chaos surrounding the 2022 Champions League final in Paris, concerns about how crowds are managed have resurfaced rather than faded.
According to reporting by The Athletic, supporters’ groups and policing experts argue that the same tactics criticised after that final continue to shape how major matches are handled across France.
A warning from Paris that still echoes
An independent review into the 2022 Champions League final at the Stade de France concluded that it was “remarkable that no one lost their lives”. According to the review, which was commissioned by UEFA and later reported on by The Athletic, organisational failures were widespread, with UEFA carrying primary responsibility.
The review was also highly critical of the policing response. It described what it called a defective model that relied on tear gas and pepper spray, measures the panel said had no place at a sporting event intended to be a celebration.
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At the time, the findings were viewed by fan organisations as a potential turning point. However, subsequent matches suggest that little has fundamentally changed.
Similar scenes at recent European matches
Over the past year, English supporters travelling in France have reported a series of comparable incidents. According to accounts cited by The Athletic, Manchester United fans were exposed to tear gas following a Europa League match in Lyon. Newcastle United supporters described heavy crowd control after a Champions League game in Marseille, while Crystal Palace fans said pepper spray was used outside Strasbourg’s stadium.
Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, told The Athletic that the approach remains outdated. He argued that treating supporters as a threat increases the likelihood of confrontation rather than preventing it.
Crowd psychology specialist Professor Clifford Stott of Keele University, who contributed to the Paris final review, has made similar points in interviews, saying French police rely too heavily on control based methods rather than dialogue.
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When crowd management turns dangerous
Newcastle supporter Steve Mallam described his experience in Marseille after his team’s defeat there. According to his account, published by The Athletic, fans were held in overcrowded concourses for extended periods.
“There wasn’t enough room for everyone, so we were stood shoulder to shoulder, bordering on crushed,” Mallam said. He later recalled being briefly lifted off his feet by the pressure of the crowd, warning that a single fall could have caused serious injury.
Newcastle United subsequently complained of what the club called unnecessary and disproportionate force. Investigations remain ongoing.
Why French authorities defend strict measures
French officials often point to domestic football violence to justify firm policing. According to the Associated Press, former interior minister Gérald Darmanin said more than 100 police officers were injured during football related incidents in the 2022 to 2023 season.
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In response, measures such as escorted travel, restricted movement and outright travel bans have become more common. Bayern Munich described similar restrictions as unacceptable last year, while Freiburg head coach Julian Schuster publicly criticised the conditions imposed on his team’s supporters.
Lessons still not absorbed
The Paris final review drew explicit parallels with the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, noting that both events were preventable and driven by failures in crowd safety management. The report found that fans in Paris were corralled in unsafe spaces while police acted without sufficient coordination or communication.
Professor Stott later said that the policing response created potentially fatal risks. In comments reported by The Athletic, he added that authorities acted autonomously and without effective oversight.
As Liverpool prepare to play in Marseille, many supporters say they are travelling cautiously rather than confidently. According to The Athletic, the concern is no longer about isolated mistakes, but about a system that has shown little willingness to change.
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Sources: The Athletic, Associated Press
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