French press react to SOS evidence at the Senate English fans recount Stade de France incidents before the Senate By Clément Martel, Le Monde. At a Senate hearing, fans' representatives – in particular from Liverpool, gave their account of the Champions League organisational debacle and called for the resignation of Gérald Darmanin. They were the first to be affected; they were the last to be heard. Representatives of the supporters who were present at the Champions League final on Saturday 28 May, and who are used to being in the stands, swapped the stadiums for the [...]

SOS Give Evidence Today, Tuesday 21 June, the Spirit of Shankly chair Joe Blott and Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association chair Ted Morris will travel to Paris to give evidence in front of the French Senate Law and Culture committee. Since the Champions League final on 28 May, representatives from the French authorities have been giving their version of events at the Stade de France. Now, finally, our voices will be heard. Last week we were informed there was to be no testament from fans. But in tandem with Football Supporters Europe, SOS lobbied for the right [...]

Post Paris Update Following our open meeting with supporters last week, we formally met representatives of Liverpool FC on Thursday 9 June. In the aftermath of the shambolic organisation and management of the Champions League final, it is easy to forget that this event is just another in the long line of misery Liverpool fans have endured this season. From being over policed in Milan, through being badly treated at Benfica, determined category 1 match in Villareal, this has been yet another season of significant challenge for travelling LFC fans. Yet pre and post-match discussions with [...]

Saturday 4 June Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting at the Church on Saturday 4 June and to all those who shared their experiences. There were many important contributions and we will report back with next steps. You can watch a recording of the meeting, with subtitles, here Join Renew Donate Back to Latest News >>

Response to Richard Bouigue SOS letter to Richard Bouigue, Deputy Mayor of the 12th arrondissement: The letter received a letter from Richard Bouigue, Deputy Mayor of the 12th arrondissement, and Liverpool Fanzone Liaison in which he praises Liverpool supporters and calls for an independent inquiry of the French authorities (see below): Join Renew Donate Back to Latest News >>

No More Lies From the moment UEFA displayed the message on the giant screens inside Stade de France on Saturday: Due to the late arrival of fans, the match has been delayed, we knew what was happening. The false narrative had begun. UEFA and the French authorities quickly changed tack to say actually it was because of fans turning up without tickets. European football’s governing body had apparently been given this information by local media and ran with it. Not for a second did they think to check its validity.  Even before the game had kicked [...]

Chaos in Paris Once again Liverpool supporters, and we are hearing, Real Madrid supporters, have felt the disorganisation and shambolic mismanagement of a major final by UEFA. Their comments may have changed before the match, but what remained consistent was their narrative that fans were to blame. Fans were not late. Many began arriving more than two-and-a-half hours before the scheduled kick-off time. They had legitimate tickets but failed to gain entry. The Merseyside Police representative in Paris made it clear: “I can only describe it as the worst European match I've ever worked or experienced. [...]