Gerald Darmanin Admits Mistake in Blaming Liverpool Fans for Stade de France Disaster

French Minister Gerald Darmanin apologizes to Liverpool fans for wrongly blaming them for the 2022 Champions League final chaos at the Stade de France.

France's former interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, now serving as justice minister, has publicly apologized to Liverpool supporters for wrongly blaming them for the chaos outside the Stade de France during the 2022 Champions League final. In a YouTube interview, Darmanin acknowledged that security failures and criminal gangs, not English fans, were the root cause of the disorder. He described the incident as "the biggest failure" of his career, admitting he hadn't properly checked the situation before shifting blame to the fans.

Darmanin initially blamed English fans and fake tickets for the mayhem, which included dangerous crowd congestion, bottlenecks, and police deploying tear gas and aggressive crowd control tactics. However, eyewitness accounts and independent investigations debunked these claims, sparking widespread criticism from fans, media, and politicians in both the UK and France.

The apology comes amid ongoing lawsuits from hundreds of Liverpool supporters who suffered injuries and trauma that night, with UEFA also facing scrutiny for its role in the disorganization. Many fans see Darmanin's apology as a long-overdue step toward justice for one of the most troubling nights in Champions League history.

"I apologise now to Liverpool supporters. They were quite right to be hurt. It was a mistake and a failure."

Former French interior minister Gérald Darmanin has issued an inadequate and long-overdue apology over the frightening scenes in Paris at the 2022 Champions League final… pic.twitter.com/joyPE5YRU4

— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) May 5, 2025

Dangerous crowd congestion plagued fans outside the Stade de France before the 2022 Champions League final, leading to a delay of over 30 minutes. French police responded with tear gas and aggressive crowd control measures, drawing complaints of heavy-handed treatment from fans trapped in pens outside the stadium.

Trois ans après le fiasco de l'organisation de la finale de Ligue des champions 2022 au Stade de France, Gérald Darmanin a présenté pour la première fois ses excuses aux supporters de Liverpool, qu'il avait tenus pour responsables du chaos
➡️https://t.co/hzKUanttNi pic.twitter.com/dfDqIY6iAR

— L'ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) May 5, 2025

In the aftermath, then-Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin blamed the disorder on “English fans” and fake tickets during a press conference. However, he has since retracted these comments, describing the night as “the biggest failure” of his career in a YouTube interview, acknowledging that security failures were to blame.

“What I did not appreciate that evening was that the real problem was not coming from English supporters, but from delinquents who were robbing fans,” he said.

“Because I hadn't checked what was happening properly, which was my mistake, and because I gave in to preconceived ideas... the culprit was easy (to designate), and I apologise to Liverpool fans. Of course they were right to (feel upset).”

UEFA lost its bid to dismiss lawsuits filed by hundreds of Liverpool fans who claim they suffered personal injuries during the chaotic scenes outside the stadium at the 2022 Champions League final.