On the eve of the 2024 Olympics and the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the French capital's ability to host major sporting events has come under scrutiny following the chaotic scenes at the Champions League final.
According to a source, UEFA and the French football federation estimated that 2,800 'fake tickets' were scanned at the Champions League final, a figure that has been cited in a crisis meeting at the French sports ministry.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin pointed to 'massive, industrial-scale and organised fraud in fake tickets' as the root cause of the problems, with an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Liverpool fans with fake tickets or without tickets outside the Stade de France.
Earlier, Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera had blamed Liverpool for leaving its supporters 'on the loose', prompting a strongly-worded response from the chairman of Liverpool Football Club.
A criminal investigation into the fake tickets has been launched in France, and UEFA has announced an 'independent report' into the problems at the final.
