France’s interior minister apologizes to fans over Stade de France debacle

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - Gerald Darmanin, France's minister of the interior, offered an apology on Tuesday to the many fans who were denied entry to the Stade de France during the Champions League final match held on May 28.

"I apologize very willingly for all those who have suffered this mismanagement," said the minister in a live interview with French news outlet RTL. "Should the Stade de France have been better managed? The answer is yes. Do I have any part of the responsibility? The answer is yes."

Chaos erupted at the final - held between rival teams Liverpool and Real Madrid - which took place at the stadium located just outside Paris - after many fans holding tickets were denied entry. Darmanin initially claimed afterwards that 70% of the tickets sold for the event were fake.

Huge crowds of fans - an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people - from the UK and Europe flooded the gates at the stadium but were denied entry, particularly at the first checkpoint. Police protection had been stepped up in advance, but when those who insisted their tickets were legitimate became unruly, disorder soon erupted with teargas and pepper spray employed to maintain calm.

In the days that followed, Darmanin was heavily criticized but continued to insist that almost three-quarters of the tickets sold were illegal, save for those purchased online (they failed to pose a problem). Darmanin also defended the actions of the police force at the stadium.

In his comments Tuesday, Darmanin, who is, officially, the head of the police throughout France, told RTL that in the month since, he has changed the police force "profoundly."

"I changed the organization. I doubled the means that were missing, no doubt, to fight against delinquency because if there is something that went wrong at the Stade de France, it is the fight against delinquency," Darmanin said.

The minister went on to defend Paris' Prefect of Police Didier Lallement but went on to say, "it is certain we have a change of organization to make."