Jordan Henderson has insisted that what happened before Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in Paris must never happen again.
Supporters attending the match at the Stade De France in the French capital were attacked with tear gas by police and were prevented from entering the stadium with thousands missing the kick-off of European football’s showcase fixture.
Following the game as fans filtered out of the national stadium, they were mugged and attacked by local youths with very little police protection offered and the Liverpool captain is demanding that further action is taken.
“I don’t want to say too much at this stage, but there is a basic principle that needs to be agreed on by all involved in football and that is that football supporters should always be taken care of,” the former Sunderland man wrote in his programme notes ahead of Monday’s match against Crystal Palace (via the Independent).
“That is absolutely non-negotiable. Safety and security shouldn’t be asked for or campaigned for, they should be a given and in Paris this was not the case.
“All of the players and staff had family and friends who were caught up in the problems outside the stadium so we are all well aware of what went on and what went wrong.
“The only conclusion that anyone can come to is that something like that can never happen again.
“I’m not just speaking for our supporters here either. Every single football fan needs to know that when they go to a match, the authorities will look after them. For that to happen, Paris needs to be a watershed.
“It has to be a moment that brings about change for the better. Nothing else is acceptable.”
The scenes were extremely disturbing and credit must be given to the supporters for remaining calm and composed.
Things could’ve went seriously wrong if it hadn’t been for their superb behaviour on a night that should’ve been one of the best nights of their lives – but in fact, it turned into a real life nightmare for many.
A UEFA investigation is still ongoing .
Tomorrow is Liverpool’s first competitive home game since that night in Paris and for many it may spark some unwanted flashbacks.
It’s therefore great to see that the skipper hasn’t forgot about what happened and is