Paris police chief Didier Lallmann apologized for using tear gas on English fans as they tried to enter the stadium and admitted to the failure of security operations to headline the Champions League final on 28 May in which Real Madrid won their 14th title against Liverpool, England, amid chaos and questions over the French capital’s ability to host the 2024 Olympics.

“It was a failure because people were pushed and attacked, it was a failure because the image of the country was shaken,” Didier Lalman told a Senate committee investigating security breaches. Growing pressure on the gates.

“We had to push people away, we ordered people to leave, and then we used tear gas – this is the only way we know to scare the crowd away, with the exception of electric batons,” Lalman added.

Contributed by Michel Assaf.