CCTV footage of last year’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid has been removed from the Stade de France, according to a hearing in the French Senate by a committee tasked with investigating the match.

The French Football Federation said the CCTV footage was destroyed in accordance with French law, which requires it to be destroyed within seven days unless ordered by judicial authorities.

“We are surprised,” Senate committee chairman Laurent Lafont told AFP, adding that the investigation was launched the day after the match. “There was enough time to request (video footage). We need to understand what happened.”

Speaking to the French Football Federation, Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram said he “couldn’t understand why the videos were destroyed”.

“Everything indicates that the destruction of compromising material was deliberately allowed,” added Senate President Bruno Ritao.

However, the French police later said they still had footage from the stadium on the day of the match.