Liverpool Fans Find Paris Return 'too Soon' After 2022 Champions League Trauma

Liverpools return to Paris for their upcoming Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain has brought painful memories of the 2022 final for many supporters. The Premier League leaders will face PSG in the first leg of the last 16 on Wednesday, but only 2,000 Liverpool fans are expected at the Parc des Princes due to lingering trauma from the chaotic events of the previous final.

The 2022 Champions League final, which saw Real Madrid defeat Liverpool 1-0, was overshadowed by distressing scenes outside the Stade de France. A 37-minute delay to kick-off occurred as fans were trapped in overcrowded bottlenecks, while police deployed tear gas on thousands of supporters held behind metal fences.

In the aftermath, UEFA and French authorities attempted to shift blame onto supporters, claiming late arrivals and an industrial-scale fraud of fake tickets, but a French Senate inquiry and independent reports found that poor security and organizational failures were to blame. Many fans felt the treatment in Paris evoked painful memories of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, where 97 Liverpool supporters lost their lives.

For many, returning to Paris so soon after the trauma is too much, with distrust of authorities and a lack of accountability for the 2022 incident making them hesitant to travel.