Two sentenced over Champions League violence

Two men were sentenced to 15 and 12 months jail for throwing bottles at police during the final of the Champions League at the end of May in Paris, prosecutors told AFP.

Heavy-handed policing and a spate of petty crimes and violence marred the May 28 fixture between Liverpool and Real Madrid.

A French Senate enquiry in July blamed a lack of preparation by French authorities and competition organisers UEFA, as well as poorly-executed security arrangements for the chaos that ensued.

Both in their twenties, the first defendant was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for aggravated violence and attempted theft which was a repeat offence.

The second, born in 1995, received a 12-month suspended prison sentence for aggravated violence and posting videos of the violence on social networks.

Before the game, they threw bottles at security forces, it was found.

The investigation was conducted with the help of video surveillance of the event which turned into a diplomatic headache for France after fans were teargassed.

On June 10, the public prosecutor’s office in Bobigny opened an investigation into robberies and aggravated violence surrounding the incident.

They also set up a mechanism to receive complaints from British and Spanish fans who came to watch the game.

At the beginning of August, the prosecution had registered 240 complaints.