LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) UEFA is under scrutiny for allegedly presenting “completely untrue” evidence during its independent inquiry into the chaotic 2022 Champions League final.
According to The Guardian, Sharon Burkhalter-Lau, who was second in command during the final and served as UEFA’s operations director at the time, has accused European football’s governing body of providing false evidence during the inquiry.
Thousands of fans faced long queues, clashes with locals, and ineffective policing before the Liverpool vs. Real Madrid final.
UEFA appointed a panel of experts to investigate the incident, which concluded that UEFA had “primary responsibility” for the situation.
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However, they shifted blame away from the safety and security unit led by Zeljko Pavlica, a close friend of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, and instead implicated Burkhalter-Lau’s events division, claiming they had “marginalized” the safety unit.
Burkhalter-Lau disputed these findings, stating that the problems were largely caused by the Paris police, over whom UEFA has no control.
She also alleged that Pavlica and his team missed critical safety briefings and failed to provide crucial information for the planning process.
Some safety professionals had previously questioned Pavlica’s background in personal security.
Burkhalter-Lau stated that “the claim that Uefa Events … senior management marginalized the Uefa security unit is based on statements provided by Uefa that were untrue and concerted.”
It remains to be seen whether UEFA will officially respond to these allegations.