– I have never heard so many “fuck” words in my life. They were the angry Englishmen. I understand that well. Many have probably spun and saved and bought the tickets on the black market, and then they end up here, says Mikal Sande (59). He himself has a season ticket at Anfield, and got hold of two ordinary tickets to the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid through a draw via Liverpool. – I paid 1500 kroner per ticket for me and my wife. But I know that similar tickets have gone for around 30,000 kroner on the black market, he says to NRK. But the match was anything but a positive experience for Mikal and his wife Brit Elin Sola (59) in Paris. Already three hours before kick-off, large crowds gathered outside the Stade de France, north of the final city of Paris. Sande and Sola were outside the stadium well in advance. About two and a half hours before the start of the match. The organizer had set up an external checkpoint before entering the stadium area itself. A fence. Was hit by pepper spray Here, Sande and Sola were let through before entering the stadium itself. There they stood in a long queue, which barely moved. – Suddenly it closed without any other information. The English, of whom there were most, began to become reasonably angry, says Sande. While they were standing there, Sande believes that more French youth gangs came. These are said to have started mingling with the Liverpool supporters, and eventually there was a scuffle. After a while, the police arrived with batons, shields and pepper spray. Sande was hit. – I felt it deep down in the throat, and it just got more and more amp. The police eventually chased the young people away, but they came back again, he says. It all became a very unpleasant experience. – Those who stood on the inside and waited for those on the outside were just as cursed. I felt quite safe, but there were kids there who probably thought this was very scary, he says. Blame on Liverpool The European Football Association has in an official statement blamed on several fake tickets from Liverpool fans. – I have been to an incredible number of football matches, but I have never been near anything like this. They blamed fake tickets, but they had no control at all, says Sande. Large numbers of police were present outside the Stade de France before the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. Photo: Fredrik Tombra / NRK Sande believes that there must have been around five hundred people around the entrance where he and his wife stood. – And when we were first let in, we were thrown in like cattle, he says. The experience before the match ruined much of the Champions League final for Sande. The match itself was postponed to 21.36 due to the incident outside, but Sande was not inside the stadium until closer to 22.30. Has never experienced the match He got the second half and that Vinicius Junior won the match for Real Madrid. But struggled to get his mind off the experience before the match. – I sat there and watched the match, but that was not where the thoughts were. I did not go into the basement when Liverpool lost, and would probably not have cheered unrestrained if they had won either. I have never experienced anything like it, he explains In a statement, Liverpool demand an investigation into what led to the problems. – We are incredibly disappointed with the entrance problems and the collapse of the security area that Liverpool supporters faced this evening at the Stade de France. This is the biggest match in European football, and the fans should not have had to experience what they did tonight, the club writes. – We have officially asked for a formal investigation into the cause of these unacceptable problems, they write.
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Mikal Sande and his wife were sprayed with pepper spray and missed half of the Champions League final – NRK Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
