MOSCOW, Jun 3 The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) apologized to everyone viewers who had to endure or witness frightening and disturbing events on the eve of the Champions League final at the Stade de France stadium on May 28 in Paris, the organization said in a statement on the official website. On Saturday, in the suburbs of Paris, at the Stade de France stadium, Champions League final between Spanish «Real» and English «Liverpool» (1:0). Before the start of the match, the French police used tear gas against fans who were trying to break into the stadium. Due to security issues, the game started with a delay of 37 minutes. «No football fan should be in this situation. This should not happen again. Immediately after the events in France, UEFA commissioned an independent review to identify shortcomings and responsibilities of all parties involved in the organization of the final, and today published the terms of reference for this review,» the statement said. The independent review, which will be led by Thiago Rodrigues of Portugal, aims to analyze what happened in preparation for the final, and determine what lessons should be extract to prevent the recurrence of such events. Upon completion of the investigation, a report will be published to ensure transparency, and UEFA will provide recommendations on best practices for the future. St. Petersburg was originally supposed to host the Champions League final, but due to the escalation of the situation in Ukraine, UEFA decided to withdraw the right to host the Russian city match.
