愛污传媒

Sports

    • Paris police chief apologizes for the pepper spraying of Champions League final fans

    Liverpool fans show tickets and wait in front of the Stade de France prior the Champions League final soccer match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, in Saint Denis near Paris, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Liverpool fans show tickets and wait in front of the Stade de France prior the Champions League final soccer match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, in Saint Denis near Paris, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
    Share

    The Paris police chief apologized for and justified the pepper spraying of fans and families amid the chaos that engulfed the Champions League final last month outside the Stade de France.

    At a French Senate hearing looking for explanations for the organizational fiasco, Paris police prefect Didier Lallement admitted on Thursday that the evening in the suburb of Saint-Denis was "obviously a failure, because people were being pushed around or assaulted while we owed them safety."

    "It's also a failure because our country's image ... was shattered."

    However, Lallement maintained the police were responding to the presence of tens of thousands of supporters without tickets or with forged tickets, not in the immediate vicinity of the stadium but close to the the main points of access to the venue.

    "We made sure that the game was held and, most importantly, that there were no serious injuries and no deaths," Lallement said.

    Taking full responsibility for the events, he acknowledged he did not anticipate the "massive use" of fake tickets, adding the only option at his disposal to make sure people did not get crushed was the use of tear gas.

    "Which is the only way to make a crowd back down except to charge them, and I think it would have been a serious mistake to charge people," Lallement said. "I am well aware that people of good faith were gassed, and I am totally sorry for that, but I repeat, there was no other way."

    Lallement said his early estimate of 30,000 to 40,000 fans without tickets or with fake tickets might have been overstated.

    "Perhaps I was wrong," he said. "Whether there were 40,000, 30,000 or 20,000, it didn't change the fact that there were tens of thousands of people who could not fit in." According to the French Football Federation (FFF), 110,000 people travelled to the Stade de France, which has a capacity of 75,000.

    UEFA has already started gathering evidence about issues that marred one of the world's biggest games in sports. Real Madrid won the final beating Liverpool 1-0.

    Florence Hardouin, the FFF director general, told senators that most of the fake tickets were found in the Liverpool fans' sector. She said all of the 20,000 tickets allocated to the Reds' supporters were in print -- rather than digital -- which made forgery easier.

    Hardouin added that "on average, 57 fake tickets were scanned every five minutes" from 6 p.m. to 9:35 p.m. She said 66% of these 2,471 forged tickets were scanned at gates in the sector dedicated to Liverpool fans.

    The FFF recommended that, in the future, only digital tickets should be available.

    Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram, who said he had personal belongings stolen at the game, challenged the French authorities' version, saying that valid tickets were rejected because of faulty scanners.

    "The argument was used to scapegoat Liverpool fans," he told the Senate commission in comments translated into French, adding that the congestion started from the train station way ahead of the stadium.

    French federation official Erwan Le Prevost said CCTV of events outside the Stade de France has been automatically deleted since judicial officials did not request the seizure of the footage within seven days. Francois-Noel Buffet, the president of the Senate's law commission, said it would be a serious problem if images have not been requested and that a verification will be conducted.

    In addition to the gassing of fans, many supporters complained about getting mugged or assaulted after the match as they left the stadium. According to Lallement, 300 to 400 individuals took part in theft and damage.

    He said during his nearly two-hour grilling that unaccompanied minors were among them, but could not tell whether groups came from the Seine-Saint-Denis department, an impoverished area with high crime rates.

    "There were 300 or 400 people who did not seem to be fans," he said. "I don't know if they were people from the housing estates around the stadium. Is this a type of delinquent population that we meet in Seine-Saint-Denis? Yes, it happens, but we also meet them in the north of Paris."

    French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the violence was made possible because the police officers initially deployed in the area between the stadium and the train station were moved closer to the stadium's gates to help disperse fans, leaving that zone without surveillance.

    Lallement backed that theory. He said his decision to remove a filtration barrier to avoid a congestion of spectators allowed "undesirable" individuals to approach the stadium.

    He urged fans and supporters who were assaulted or purchased fake tickets to file legal complaints.

    The chaos last month prompted concerns in France and abroad about the country's ability to host major sporting events. France will host the Rugby World Cup next year and the Olympics in 2024.

    Association of Summer Olympic International Federations executive director Andrew Ryan said bringing the Olympic Games to Saint-Denis -- where swimming events will take place -- is a source of concern but worth the effort.

    "We have to understand that sometimes we have to take risks," Ryan said. "That is sometimes the difficult option to take, but it is the right option because if you look at that area of Saint-Denis in Paris, it is not a wealthy part of Paris at all, it is a deprived area, and so a lot of the development that is going on there for example with the aquatic center -- bringing a high-level swimming center to a relatively deprived area - is a very noble thing to do."

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

    Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

    Canada

    • Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

    • The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) has uploaded dozens of dashboard camera videos from the 1970s to their YouTube channel.

    • Canada Post driver Rick Harper recounts how he and others helped save a woman from a Tesla that caught fire after crashing into a guardrail on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

    • Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he doesn't "think it's fair" nurses and doctors have to pay for parking at the hospitals and health-care facilities that they work at, after 愛污传媒 Toronto highlighted the issue earlier this week

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    • The final count of ballots in the 2024 B.C. election begins Saturday, with more than 66,000 mail-in and absentee votes potentially yet to be counted across the province's 93 electoral districts.

    • There were tense moments at a ferry terminal outside Victoria, B.C., on Friday after the lion鈥檚 share of standby spots on an early sailing were claimed by 鈥渁ssured loading鈥 passengers 鈥 leaving regular customers who had been waiting for hours out of luck.

    • The countdown to the arrival of Taylor Swift鈥檚 Eras Tour is on, with three dates planned in Vancouver this December - and some condo owners are looking to cash in on the fan frenzy.

    • Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

    • Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

    • Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he doesn't "think it's fair" nurses and doctors have to pay for parking at the hospitals and health-care facilities that they work at, after 愛污传媒 Toronto highlighted the issue earlier this week

    • The Alberta legislature is set to reconvene on Monday and the Danielle Smith government will be providing more details about its plans for the session.

    • A person is dead in the aftermath of a traffic incident in Calgary's northeast on Friday evening.

    • An investigation into the death of a man in Calgary police custody earlier this month has concluded that officers did not contribute to his death and that he was cared for properly.

    • An Ottawa dietitian says the health trends on social media might not be the best option for you, citing some risks.

    • A former CTV Ottawa broadcaster is headlining an art gallery with landscape paintings this weekend.

    • It's going to be cold this Saturday in the capital, as colder than average temperatures are in the forecast.

    • In the wake of the Bedford school controversy, opposition parties called on the government to defund private religious schools, a proposal that Quebec鈥檚 main private school association says would end up costing the government and parents more.

    • Quebec's social services minister says he's outraged by reports that educators at a detention centre for youth in Montreal had sexual relations with minor detainees 鈥 and that one of the employees allegedly had a baby with a teenage resident.

    • Two minors were in court Friday to face charges after four teenagers were stabbed outside a Montreal high school.

    • A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.

    • A second person has been charged in connection with the death of a man in the Kingsway area earlier this year.

    • The Alberta legislature is set to reconvene on Monday and the Danielle Smith government will be providing more details about its plans for the session.

    • The GoFundMe page for the family of an employee found dead at a Halifax Walmart last weekend has paused donations after almost $200,000 was raised in roughly 24 hours.

    • New Brunswicker Jillea Godin鈥檚 elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as celebrities requesting their own pieces.

    • The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

    • Winnipeg police are looking for a suspect after a woman's dorm room was broken into at the U of M and she was assaulted.

    • Repairs to the historic 110-year-old rail bridge at The Forks could come with a multi-million dollar price tag.

    • Saturday will mark the end of the CFL regular season, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will have their eyes on Winnipeg鈥檚 matchup versus Montreal to know if they have a chance of clinching the West Division.

    • With an attempt to address the shortage of housing available in the community, the City of Yorkton has started a housing incentive program where new builders will receive a 50 per cent rebate on residential lots, and a full tax exemption for five years.

    • As the final day of voting for the Saskatchewan election inches closer, voters may be wondering when official winners will be declared.

    • Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, the man who stabbed three people in a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo, says he 鈥榓cted dumb鈥.

    • All the evidence has now been called at the trial of Erick Buhr, who has pleaded not guilty to second degree murder in the death of his grandmother, Viola Erb.

    • Residents spotted smoke coming from a waste management site in Waterloo on Friday afternoon.

    • A Saskatchewan woman is worried her child might die before receiving life-saving surgery and tests as he sits on the province's surgical waitlist.

    • The Saskatchewan RCMP is releasing the names of two suspects arrested on Thursday for a violent vehicle theft that triggered a widespread police search.

    • Police have still not confirmed the identity of a body discovered in Prince Albert last week.

    • The Town of Cochrane plans to roll out its $10-lot program in a month or two.

    • Two people 鈥 one from Timmins, the other from Kapuskasing -- have been fined more than $7,000 for camping violations, including empty septic tanks directly onto the ground.

    • The federal government is spending a significant amount of money to improve Indigenous student learning across Ontario.

    • At around 11:00 p.m. a witness saw them break a window at a building in the area of Chiddington Avenue and Compton Crescent.

    • In case you missed it, 愛污传媒 London has gathered all of the top local stories from this week into one video for your convenience.

    • A new staff report calls for homeless encampments to be allowed even closer to residential neighbourhoods, reducing the buffer zone from 100 metres to 25 metres.

    • Provincial police say there is an active investigation going on in the Town of Huntsville.

    • Several students have been banned from being spectators at school sporting events, and others suspended from school, after verbal and physical exchanges at a high school soccer game.

    • A 15-year veteran officer with the South Simcoe Police Service has been charged with discreditable conduct following an allegation of sexual assault.

    • In case you missed it, 愛污传媒 Windsor has compiled all of the top local stories from this week into one video.

    • The Windsor Police Service is investigating a suspicious death in south-central Windsor.

    • A Harrow school is memorializing two students and their mother, who were tragically killed in June.

    • The final count of ballots in the 2024 B.C. election begins Saturday, with more than 66,000 mail-in and absentee votes potentially yet to be counted across the province's 93 electoral districts.

    • There were tense moments at a ferry terminal outside Victoria, B.C., on Friday after the lion鈥檚 share of standby spots on an early sailing were claimed by 鈥渁ssured loading鈥 passengers 鈥 leaving regular customers who had been waiting for hours out of luck.

    • Hulitan Early Years Centre is a brand new, 48-seat childhood learning centre in Colwood. It was built to support Indigenous children throughout the capital region.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • About 15,000 students are enrolled at Lethbridge鈥檚 post-secondary schools, and now the city is working with those schools to try to find ways to get them s to stick around a while.

    • With Halloween less than a week away, organizations in Lethbridge are preparing to get in on the trick-or-treating fun.

    • The City of Lethbridge is bringing forward a water conservation policy, the first of its kind for the city.

    • The union that represents hospital workers across the province is used a symbol from Greek mythology Friday in Espanola to drive home its campaign about the perils of privatization in health care.

    • CTV's Coats for Kids is nearing the end of its donation window, with the need as strong as it鈥檚 ever been.

    • The Anishinabek Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the circumstances around a death in Fort William First Nation.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒