The fall-out from the chaotic scenes before the Champions League final continues. The final itself was delayed by 36 minutes, as the atmosphere outside the stadium reached a level of tension familiar to sites of urban conflict. Reports and eyewitness accounts suggest that French police adopted extremely heavy-handed tactics to quell the discontent building outside the Stade de France. As supporters were penned into tight spaces, sparking widespread safety concerns, police officials did not hesitate to teargas those gathered around the perimeter of the Stade de France. Pressure mounts on French authorities as both Real Madrid and Liverpool fans threaten legal action.

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French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin accused counterfeit ticket holders of causing the melee. Arguing that police action was provoked by over 30000-40000 such illegal ticket-holders, the Minister tried to shrug off the blame onto the supporters in attendance. However, initial inquiries have roundly debunked his claim. As per findings, not more than 3000 such ticket-holders were present!

But events have taken a turn for the worse! Officials from the French Football Federation revealed that footage from the ground had been destroyed. Although French law states that footage can indeed be destroyed within seven days of recording unless required for judicial inquiry, investigations into the incident began in the immediate aftermath of the match. Speaking to AFP, Laurent Lafont, co-president of the Commission appointed by the French Senate, expressed his dissatisfaction at the development:

“We’re surprised. There was plenty of time to request them (the images). We need to understand what happened.”

Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram was also visibly angered by the loss of footage. Senate leader Bruno Retailleau remarked that “everything leads to believe that we knowingly let compromising exhibits be destroyed”.

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The destruction of said footage does indeed raise suspicions of wrongdoing and whether key figures are being shielded from scrutiny.