- Madrid slammed proposal as insufficient
- Poor organisation caused pre-final chaos
- 20,000 fans poised to receive refunds
WHAT HAPPENED? UEFA announced on Tuesday that it would refund the tickets of fans who attended the 2022 Champions League final, as long as they met requirements after an independent report blamed the organisation for the havoc caused by the hastily rescheduled final, some nine months after the event.
Liverpool fans were tear gassed by local police, subject to dangerous queues outside the stadium and attacked by gangs. In response, UEFA asserted that it would compensate fans for their tickets - as long as they can provide proof that they entered the stadium at a certain time.
WHAT THEY SAID: "Regrettably, our club believes that UEFA's proposal, officially announced last Tuesday, is insufficient. It merely consists of the reimbursement of the ticket price, which is also subject to the fulfillment of a series of requirements, including providing proof of the time of access to the stadium," the club said in an official statement.
They also announced that they won't cooperate with UEFA's proposal: "Real Madrid has decided not to cooperate in the restricted compensation procedure proposed by UEFA, which we ask to redress the situation and assume its full responsibility."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: UEFA finally accepted responsibility for the chaos before, during and after the final last month, after over half a year of blaming fans. The final, originally supposed to be held in St. Petersburg, was moved following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Poor planning led to a 36-minute delay of kickoff, and a number of fans being hospitalised amid chaos outside the stadium.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID AND UEFA? UEFA have yet to issue a response to Real Madrid's statement.