UEFA has made “no meaningful efforts” to settle claims on behalf of 1,200 Liverpool fans affected by the chaos surrounding the 2022 Champions League final, a law firm has said.
European football’s governing body announced last Friday it had reached a “full and final settlement” with supporters represented by Pogust Goodhead and Bingham Long who had made personal injury claims.
An independent report published last year found UEFA bore “primary responsibility” for the failures which almost led to European club football’s biggest event in Paris in May 2022 becoming a “mass fatality catastrophe”.
Serious congestion problems outside the Stade de France in Paris saw thousands of Liverpool fans penned in against perimeter fences and stuck in a motorway underpass ahead of the game against Real Madrid.
Those same supporters, who had already been targeted by local youths trying to steal tickets, were then tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed by police.
However, a large contingent of supporters represented by Leigh Day still have outstanding claims.
“The terms of the settlement are highly confidential, but we know that UEFA have not made any admission of wrongdoing or fault,” Clare Campbell and Jill Paterson from Leigh Day said.
“Currently, UEFA has made no meaningful efforts to settle the claims we issued 12 months ago on behalf of 1,200 fans.
“We do not know why UEFA are treating groups of fans differently given that they all experienced the same level of mistreatment and harm. The settlement news only causes division and unnecessary anxiety, but we can only hope that it means that UEFA’s focus is moving towards compensating fans rather than resisting the claims in the courts.
“We want to assure our clients that our focus remains on pursuing UEFA further and obtaining appropriate compensation and justice for each of our clients. As always, we will keep our clients updated with any progress in their claims.”
A jurisdictional hearing in the Leigh Day civil case is due to take place on 27 and 28 June.
UEFA has been approached for comment.
